I have never joined a monthly club before. BUT, DH and I need some new music we both like for our home gym. Working out together two or three hours at a time, it gets unpleasant if it's "his" music or "my" music, and having to alternate takes away from our workouts. ANYWAY...

BMG has a sign-up for 7 free CDs, purchase one, and get 4 more free. The hitch is the S&H, around $3 or more each. By signing up through My Points, you receive the 7 CDs and points towards a gift card. Also BMG points towards more free CDs. But, My Points Insiders Club (still on my $1 trial month) reimburses you for all S&H by going through their site. So, 7 CDs for $11 total.

After the sign up and first purchase, you earn another 4 free CDs. Still, S&H. But what I didn't know but confirmed today, you can go to BMG through MyPoints not just for the initial sign up, but for future purchases. As long as you go through MyPoints, they reimburse you for all S&H. So, another 4 CDs for $0.

That's 12 CD's for $11.

I referred a friend, received 5 more free CDs. I will go through MyPoints again to get the S&H paid for, which makes

17 CDs for $11. Brand new, just released albums, as well as some classics. Same CDs at the local store are $20 - $25.

Which makes...$300 of CDs for $11.

Nice savings.

I won't add that to my "annual savings", as I would not have paid out that much, at least not in one month.

Goodness, I wish I had stocked up on DIFFERENT things before I started this challenge. Of course, that would defeat the point of the challenge. The piles in the pantry and freezer are things that have accumulated, as opposed to things that I buy and purchase regularly. It was so much easier last summer, when we had giant salad suppers!

So, I asked DH to take out the "biggest thing in the freezer" hoping to make room and a dent in this challenge! We have four whole bird chickens, bought at 69 cents a pound and BOGO last fall when the dog was sick and we had to feed her plain chicken every night. Makes me miss her. The new pup SHOULD not learn about chicken, but he has already learned to put himself right under my left arm, the direction I toss to the can as I prepare. Sigh. Smart little thing.

I wanted to do chicken tandoori, but no yogurt. I will have to wait until next week to shop and buy some. So, took out two boxes of "fixings" from Campbells, but the supper bake (? - okay, it was free after coupon, wasn't sure what it actually was) is rice, and I have rice in the frig that needs to be used.

So, the plan: DH cuts up chicken. He always ends up with BIG pieces and these little bits. Impossible to cook at the same time. So, tonight I will pan roast the large pieces with herbs, serve with leftover brown rice and a sauce, maybe a gravy. Fresh asparagus.

Tomorrow, the bits will go into one of the Betty Crocker alfredo dishes with broccoli and some additional sauce, or at least home improvements.

Only a dent in the pantry and freezer, but it's a dent.

I didn't really need to shop on Saturday, but I needed to get out of the house. I had received my coupon for free Purina from last month's challenge, and some other coupons, and thought I'd shop at one store only. But of course, not having much of a list, DH started remembering things we wanted, like more Soy Milk and Coffeemate and other things that really added up. Only saved 43%. HORRIBLE for us. On the other hand, we really limited what we went after on sales and coupons, so not bad.

We did get 5 Smart Ones tv dinners for $1 each, plus a rebate for $1 will come, and when you bought four you received a free Smart One dessert. Never tried, but I'm getting better at trying new things, especially when I can save money doing it.

Giant and Superfresh each had Rx coupons in the Sunday paper (we receive on Saturday), one for $25 g/c for a transferred Rx, and another for $10 g/c for a pet Rx.

Spending, ah, DH spontaneously decided on the ride home yesterday that he wanted to buy mulch, early, and do it himself this year. 30 cubic yards is alot of mulch to spread. But he pulled over at a nursery on the side of the road, ordered it up to be delivered that afternoon. He liked the price, but I would have preferred more research!!!

Received a %10 rebate check from a $1 trial to a health savings club, and a $10 rebate check from a $1 trial to an auto club. Neither turned out to be clubs I could use, and I did cancel early since things in the family back home are getting iffy, and I don't want to leave commitments hanging, and wasting money, if I won't have time to deal with them.

$10 g/c from Old Navy is going to a friend in need. So, no credit for that.

I still want to look more into half.com and other sites for all the DVDs we were buying during our spending phase last year. YIKES. Plus some for the holidays. I've never used the service, but have seen great results from others challenges and blogs. Not sure about the packaging and shipping costs. But I'm thinking about it.

The Play it Again Sports I was hoping to use to sell the older equipment has gone out of business. So I need to find another way. The weight bench is like new, lots of attachments that haven't been used. Usually we would just donate to charity and take the tax break, and we may still go that route.

So, add another $20 to the totals.

Yesterday was a GREAT day for coupons.

The Healthy Choice Try It Free guarantee continues. While they will only accept one REBATE per household, if you request the $6 coupons instead of the $2 refund, you can receive a coupon set for each flavor you try. DH figured this one out. He is getting better at the coupon game.

Purina is running a NEW PURINA ONE 30 day challenge, new link, offering both a free 3.5 lb bag of cat food and a free 4.5 lb bag of dog food. I signed up Friday, and received the free coupons and booklet yesterday. WOW. It's a very limited time offer, and they RARELY run cat and dog challenges, cats least of all.

Two Del Monte coupons, including a free product, and another pile of SCJohnson coupons. Not for things I want, really, but still, coupons.

Also, a pile of coupons from Turtle Mountain, including a note that if I tell friends to write a phrase in their "heard about from" form, they will receive extra $1 on anything coupons.

Received my Mambo coupon booklet, a health care product booklet (Motrin, etc., about 10 coupons), and a pile of coupons from the organic moms group.

There were more, but at that point I just piled everything into a stack to sort it out later. Still trying to keep the focus on using what I have instead of buying more, so will send most of the coupons off to the coupon trains (and limit my temptation!!!)

Saturday wasn't bad. Had two large flour tortillas and some cheese, salsa, sour cream in the frig, so made to quesadillas to go with some frozen veggies and two spicy chicken frozen dinners.

I did give in and flip the chicken deal, adding 5 bags of pre-cooked chicken to the stockpile. BUT, it was half-price, at $3 a 2.5 pound bag of pre-cooked breast, and the store doubled the $1 coupons, so for $5 we have 12.5 pounds of chicken, ready to eat, at a "value" of $40 at regularly price. I put value in quotes, because I haven't tried this and rarely buy pre-cooked foods like this.

So, Sunday night I used the last of the carrots, peppers, some fresh broccoli, and a bag of stir fry frozen vegs, with a bottle of Husein sauce and a can of pineapple chunks and juice from the overrun pantry. Bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce, added a bag of the chicken nuggets, and served over brown rice, also buried in the stockpile. A few grape tomatoes, also.

I did toss a small amount of unused cooked brocolli that had seriously TURNED in the frig. WOW. So, tossed maybe 1/4 pound of food.

Coffee remains our largest expense. Gourmet coffee, be it Gloria Jean's or Trader Joe's or Boca Java or Starbuck's.

I did just get a GOOD deal on Boca Java, $39 for $105 of their product. $25 g/c from Entertainment.com, and $45 for $9 through a my points trial.

Probably drop by Gloria Jean's today to take advantage of our frequent buyer's club. It is DH's favorite.

DH also likes Paul Newman's, but it's impossible to find.

Anyone have any great coffee deals?

Continuing with the stockpile, crab and shrimp frozen from the holidays, with a jar of alfredo sauce from I don't know when, along with fresh parmesan and some other "additives" to make a nice dish.

Going with a side of frozen veggies, probably the Birds Eye herb blends, which we recently got for 50 cents for two (regularly $2 each). Sale/coupon/free coupon/rebate.

Fettucini, again, going with whatever pasta is buried in the pantry stockpile.

No waste so far.

The deals may be available in your area. They aren't always obvious.

I received 3 g/c for Rx, new or transferred, from the check out coupons that get spit out with the bonus card. They were mixed in with the Wall Street Journal and Disney coupons, and I almost missed them.

One of the warehouse clubs had a $25 offer last month, but it was in one of the coupon books they sent out. Another pharmacy, I think Rite-Aid, had one awhile ago through it's online rewards system (memory here, I'm not a member).

Our Sunday paper has also had 5 - 6 coupons. You do have to take the coupon in to the store. One store even offered $10 g/c if you filled your PET's prescription there. That one was in their weekly ad.

I'm not sure what is available in your specific region, if any. But there is definitely a trend to be alert for.

With the change in medicare, and many companies changing insurance with the new year, many of the grocery pharmacies, as well as some of the pharmacy chains, are offering gift cards for new or transferred prescriptions.

$10 to $50 locally.

Now, I have been through the mill getting costs down switching to cheaper pharmacies. I'm not recommending any one switch pharmacies just to get the deal. BUT, if you want to do a "free trial" Rx, such as the 7 day Ambien or Lunesta, 15 day Crestor, etc., or even if you currently use these and your doctor will give you the short term Rx, you can fill them and get the gift cards. Insurance, etc., is not required for freebies, and if you decided to fill a full Rx later, you need a fresh Rx written anyway, which can be taken to whatever pharmacy you and your insurance use.

Most of the free trials are about $50 - $100 worth of pills, plus with the card, and since it doesn't take insurance, it also doesn't count against a deductible or other limitation.

We actually have leftovers from last night's stroganoff (DH works out 3 -5 hours a day and EATS), so we will have that with either a bag or can of veggies. Keeping it simple.

Tomorrow night, seafood fettucini, using up crab and shrimp that was frozen from the holidays. Slowly chipping away at the stockpile.

Dog is having moistened dry dog food; mixing it with some free Eukanuba pouches the company sent me. Straight, he doesn't digest it well, but they suggested we mix it until his teeth come in, and he likes it. He has to eat crushed ice first (okay, and play with it on the tile floor). Gagged on the baby Orajel, but the ice he LOVES. Go figure.

Today's savings are simple, just a $2 rebate on Meaty Bone (the only thing the Corgi WON'T eat, even when he has teeth!).

The temptation...they finally have Fast Fixin's here. At $7 a bag, I gave away my coupons to the coupon train, and wrote to the company that they were overpriced. They responded that they weren't and sent 5 $1 coupons.

But...the breaded chicken is on sale this week at $3.50 a bag, and the double coupon would make it $1.50 a bag. They would be good for stir fry's and things that have a sauce. General Tso's chicken...

AND, for February and March, Fast Fixin's has a offer, send in 10 UPCs and receive TWO coupons for free products of the highest value. No receipts required. That's a pretty good deal. BUT... no room in the freezer for 10 bags of chicken, even at the price, and I trying to use up what I have. So, we'll ponder this one overnight...

Okay, tonight, ground turkey (BOGO) from our frozen stockpile. Hamburger helper mix (30 cents after sale/coupon) with sour cream and a few touches to make the stroganoff. Sides of left over steamed carrots and steamed broccoli. A few biscuits left.

Roasts are 50% off, and sound delicious, but I'm trying to stick to the use it or lose it rule and get through some of what I've already purchased.

The dog, free Iams sauce to soften the dog food, and a bag of soft treats with the Petco g/c.

My "deal" of the day:

My points insider-club, trial membership is $1 for a month. Through them:

Entertainment book, Save $10 and get a $25 g/c (I chose an online coffee site, not a restaurant!). Get a $10 rebate for joining insider-club. They will rebate the S&H ($4). Refer a friend, and receive two free movie tickets.

So, my book came out FREE, I received $25 in free coffee beans, two movie tickets, and the book which surprised me.

It's not really an ENTERTAINMENT book any more! I haven't used one before, and I was surprised. A page of coupons for Safeway. A page of coupons for Weis groceries. Six coupons for our local teacher's store. $10 off Radio Shack. Coupons for Dick's Sporting Goods. Etc. So, it's really a SAVINGS book for stores I would shop at anyway. $5 off of groceries, 8 times a year? I'll take it!

now a question for others
It occured to me that through my points, you can sign up for one of their book clubs, get the 4 free books, purchase one more, use the $10 rebate, and have the shipping rebated, and complete your membership requirements in one deal. 5 books. Could you then sell them on half.com or ebookdrop for a profit? I've never sold on these sites, but it might be a way to make a profit, especially since you could select hot off the press books.

Yes? Anyone try this?