Super Savings Saturday: Cheap Baby Wipes

If you have a little one in diapers, chances are you go through a TON of baby wipes. And that can be pretty expensive after a while (as if all those diapers weren't enough). Well, I found a recipe for homemade wipes shortly after my first child was born and I used it through all three of my girls' days in diapers. These things were cheap, easy to make and worked just fine, thank you!

Wanna know the secret recipe*? Here it is:
1 roll of regular size sheet Bounty paper towels (do not skimp & buy cheepie paper towels - they will. not. work.)
1 cup of water
1 Tbs. baby shampoo (any brand)
1 Tbs. baby oil (any brand)

Cut the paper towel roll in half. I usually used a hack saw, but a bread knife works too. Then remove the cardboard core. Place the half roll in a RubberMaid servin' saver 3 qt., size G container or similar size container with lid. Mix together the water, shampoo & baby oil. Pour over paper towel roll, saturating the towels evenly.

To use, pull paper towels from up from center of roll.

I used these almost exclusively for all three girls. The only reason I bought regular baby wipes was to put in the travel wipes container in the diaper bag for when we were out and about.

*Sorry for no attribution of my original source. It's been so long now that I completely forget where I got it from.

Super Savings Sunday Tip

Do you like breakfast cereal? What about Post breakfast cereals? Do you live near a Jewel (or another grocery store in the Albertson's chain, possibly)? Here's a good deal that's going on from now through Wednesday, April 1st:

Select varieties of Post cereal are on sale 2 for $3, but you must buy two to get the deal (or else they're $2.50). And you must use your preferred card. $1.50 a box sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But wait...there's more.

Currently there is a promotion going on where if you buy Post cereal, you can get a coupon for money off your next transaction:

Buy 3, get $2 off your next order
Buy 4, get $3 off
Buy 5 or more, get $5 off.

So...if you buy 6 (at 2/$3) it will cost you $9, but at the end of your transaction it will print you a coupon for $5 off. Which is like paying $4 for 6 boxes.

Sounds pretty good, huh? But wait... you can make it even better if you get the Sunday paper. This week's Smart Source coupon insert has a coupon for $1.00 off 2 boxes of select Post cereals (Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, or Grape Nuts Nuggets or Flakes - 10 oz. or larger)

If you get more than one paper, like I do (Chicago Tribune and the Naperville Sun), or if a friend or relative who doesn't use theirs will give them to you (thanks, Mom!), you can use three of those coupons on your six boxes. Your total cost for those 6 boxes would come to $1 (plus tax). Even one or two coupons makes it a super deal.

(Btw - if you don't like one of the 2/$3 varieties, you can substitute in another Post cereal - like Honeycombs and you'll still get the coupon at the end. I did that today and ended up paying $2 for my six boxes with two of them being the really big boxes of Honeycombs).

Six boxes may sound like a lot. But at that price, I'd say stock up! Make space in your pantry and fatten up your wallet at the same time.

Note: I've confirmed that this same deal is going on at the Albertson's stores too!

Announcing: Frugal Friday or Something Like That

I came up with a new idea for blog content (which the few faithful followers I have know has been lacking as of late): Frugal Friday. These would be posts sharing a money saving idea or tip or deal alert. The only thing is, I don't expect to post them only on Friday, nor will I post something every Friday. In fact, this first frugal post isn't coming to you on a Friday. So maybe it will be a Savings Sunday or Money Matters Monday post. But I hope you get the gist. I just want to pass along things I've learned or heard that make it easier for all of us trying to weather this financial ickiness (recession, crisis, whatever you want to call it).

Here's today's tip. It's a deal alert and if you have a kid in diapers and live near a Walgreen's, you'll want to listen up (this is from Jill Cataldo's web site):

Spend $25 or more on Huggies diapers or wipes and get a $10 coupon for your next shopping trip (called a Register Reward at Walgreens). This week diapers are on sale for $10 a pack.

Print out coupons from the following sites: Coupons.com and Red Plum for $5 and $3 (I think they'll allow you to print two of each and they may only have them available for so long, so check it out soon). You can also find ones for Huggies in the 2/8 Smart Source insert or 3/1 Smart Source for $1.50 - not as good a deal, but still...

Here's an additional help that Jill points out:

Then, if you can find one, pick up the 99-cent coloring book from Walgreens. It contains a bunch of Walgreens store coupons, including one for $1 off Huggies. You will only need one, as Walgreens coupons apply to all your like items in one order. (Additionally, most Wags will let you keep the coupon, as they just discard the store coupons at the end of the day.)

This is how she does the math:

3 packs of Huggies @ $10 = $30
Minus $1 x 3 for coloring book coupon = $27
Minus two $5 coupons and one $3 coupon = $14
Pay $15 and get at $10 RR = $4 for 3 packs of Huggies!

That's my deal alert for today. More frugal tips to come!