Today you can get a free 8×10 photo at Walgreen’s using the code MOTHER at checkout. Walgreen’s is also running a special where you get 25 free 4×6 prints when you buy 25 or more.

I get this email newsletter from Hot Coupon World every Tuesday. Some weeks the deals seem ho-hum. But this week is different. There is a ton of great information, so I wanted to share the highlights of my email with you. (I highly recommend signing up for this newsletter, if you haven’t already.)

Lots of Mother’s Day-related pricing this week out in stores to watch for.

Brands to watch this week:

Jimmy Dean - If the kids or hubby are making you breakfast in bed on Sunday, you might see this in your shopping cart.  Watch for sale prices (there was a coupon this past week in an insert) and combo deals like “Buy X product, get eggs and juice” type offers.

Kraft - Big Kraft sale coming across the brand,  so it will be salad dressings, mac/cheese, Capri suns, etc.

BBQ sauces and condiments - all brands - With Memorial Day around the corner, you’re going to start seeing BBQ/picnic foods coming on sale.  But for whatever reason, condiment sales seem to kick off the season first, usually starting right about now.

New Brand Alert - Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers - $3.00 printable off any one - LINK

Seasonal Allergy Meds - this should be getting into the competitive stage of spring marketing this month - Claritin has a $4.00 printable - LINK -  and we’ll also be seeing more insert coupons this month for assorted brands.

Falling prices this week:

Ok, whoever decided asparagus is symbolic of love was a really good marketer because the idea stuck.  You’ll see asparagus on sale this week for mother’s day - as low as $1.49 per pound.

Keeping with the Mother’s Day food theme, you’ll also see choice cut beef (think t-bones and ribeyes), lobster tails, king crab legs, halibut steaks, and salmon on sale.  A good price on the choice cut beef right now is going to be anything less than  $4.99 per pound. The seafood is going to be a special buy for most stores, particularly the lobster tails, so if you like them, this would be a good time to pick up a few spares for the freezer to pull out later this summer.
You’ll also find strawberries and whipped cream should be on sale as well.

Printables are going to be HOT this month.

If you didn’t already print out all those awesome Kelloggs coupons, they’re just tip of the printable coupon iceberg this month.  I have it on really good authority that the coupons are going to be rapidly changing all month and we’re going to work to keep you posted because they’ll be fast, furious, and high-dollar off values!!

HCW Printables - LINK
HCW Smart Source Printables - LINK
HCW Red Plum Printables  - LINK

There’s already new ones in all three of those even from last week, and Heidi’s doing a great job keeping them updated in the Coupon Database - just search by printables to get the full list - there are currently over 3000 links in there!

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Hot Deals and Great Money Making Opportunities

HOT - $25 Restaurant.com gift cert for $4 plus a free $15 FTD Reward Certificate -  Use code GIFT  - LINK TO OFFER

Boca Java coffee - 4 bags at the intro rate of $4.95 plus free shipping - LINK TO OFFER

Nielsen Net Ratings (survey site) is open again - get prizes to do surveys - LINK TO OFFER

Don’t have an account to Bidz.com?  Get one now for free. Bidz is a dedicated online auction site for jewelry - they have great prices and you can save a chunk of change - LINK TO OFFER

Tonight I’m hitting Splash, the new martini bar in Oconomowoc. It’s the grand opening, so I’m hoping there will be a few drink specials on the menu. Here are the details:

What:  Splash Martini Bar
When:  Tonight! Doors open at 4 p.m.
Where:  134 N. Main St. in Oconomowoc (next to Ambiance Salone, across the street from the German Bar)

My friend Laura will be serving at Splash and has the inside scoop. Here’s what she has to say:

It’s a gorgeous place inside — smoke-free too!  There’s a lounge in the back with comfy chairs, and a nice deck facing La Belle on the back where smoking is allowed. [I am really excited about the view of the lake! Despite being in the heart of Lake Country, Oconomowoc is strangely devoid of lakefront bars and restaurants.]

We will be serving a large variety of awesome martinis, including old favorites like the Cosmo, Pomegranate and Dirty. [I love dirty martinis...it was the one drink I really craved during my last two pregnancies.] We also serve some great chocolate martinis, a Blue Hawaii (tasted like vacation), a Key Lime with a graham cracker rim which was my favorite, and a handful with fresh fruit purees. And TONS more.

Fear not, for those of you not interested in martinis, there will be a standard bar with all booze and beers, even some really good beers on tap.

Splash will be open seven days a week, and will open earlier on the weekends (around noon on Saturdays and Sundays).

Oconomowoc has always struggled to attract shoppers. Now that the roundabout is finished, I hope the downtown area sees a surge in business activity. Splash will hopefully be part of this revitalization.

This week's incorrect Kmart ad

This ad from the Sunday paper says that Kmart is doubling coupons up to 75 cents through Saturday. I was really disappointed in this change from the $2 doubles. But I heard that this might be wrong, so I stopped into my local store today to check out that rumor. I’m glad I did! Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2 through Saturday!

Along with the super doubles, there’s a great P&G promotion: Buy $35 worth of P&G items (such as Bounty, Tide, Charmin, Crest and Pampers) and receive a $10 Kmart gift certificate.

Today I bought two packages of size 4 diapers at $19.99 for a box of 82 diapers. I had a $1 coupon for each box. When doubled, those coupons gave me $4 off my total. That totaled $35.98 for diapers — just enough to qualify for the $10 gift card. (I love hitting it so close to the cut-off amount!). After including the gift card, which I can use on my next purchase, that totals $25.98 for 164 diapers — about 15 cents a diaper. Not bad for a premium brand!

My friend Kristin recently passed on this pandemic planning checklist about how to plan for and get through an influenza pandemic, such as the one we’re experiencing now with the swine flu. Although several cases have shown up in Wisconsin, I’m not all that worried about contracting this flu. As my friend Nikki said, we’ve lived through the regular flu, bird flu and SARS, so the swine flu doesn’t seem like anything unusual to worry about.

That doesn’t mean I’m taking this lightly. I’m being extra-vigilant about handwashing with the kids and myself, and I’m watching my family for any signs of flu. We’ve had a bad run of illness this winter, and I’m not keen on repeating the last few months of that drudgery.

Loving my stockpile

The government’s planning checklist is interesting to me because it closely reflects the items I already have in my stockpile. However, if I had seen that list a  year ago, I would have needed to run out and purchase many of the items on the list. I’m sure many people are doing that right now — and paying top dollar for that panic-induced grocery run. Even though I truly believe I won’t need to live off the food in my basement and deep freezer, I feel so much more comfortable knowing it’s there, just in case the worst happens.

(On a side note, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy recently. That alone made me want to stockpile fresh water, soap, firewood and food, then barricade the doors with my doubel-barreled shotgun while herding my family into the basement. This pandemic almost makes that look like a logical next step.)

The government’s checklist includes:

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, and soups — I have dozens of cans of tomato/chicken noodle/minestrone/cream soups, chunk tuna, corn/tomatoes/artichoke hearts/peas, and kidney/black/pinto/white beans. The beans alone could keep us alive for quite a while, and I’m pretty sure my kids and husband would be happy about that.
  
• Protein or fruit bars – I have six boxes of different granola bars, and I’m stocking up on more next week.
  
• Dry cereal or granola — Do you think 17 boxes of cereal is enough? I dunno.
  
• Peanut butter or nuts – I have several cans and bags of almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts. Plus one jar of peanut butter. More PB is on the list for next week.
  
• Dried fruit – My stockpile includes two bags of craisins, one can of organic raisins, a carton of figs, and two canisters of prunes. (I guess it’s a good thing the government also recommends stocking up on anti-diarrheal medication and toilet paper, huh?)
  
• Crackers — Two boxes of crackers, two bags of pretzels, one bag of tortilla chips…and more on the way next week.
  
• Canned juices – I have about 30 cans of frozen concentrate, as well as several jugs of fruit and vegetable juices.
  
• Bottled water – I still have some from a party we had in September.
  
• Canned or jarred baby food and formula – We don’t need this stuff anymore. Hurray!
  
• Pet food – Just bought a 30-pound bag not too long ago.
  
• Other non-perishable items – Plenty!
• Medications and household basics, like soap, garbage bags and flashlight/batteries – My forays into Walgreens have nicely prepared us in this department. I was getting a little embarassed by the amount of toothpaste and kids cold/pain medicine we had piling up in the closet, but now I feel strangely justified.

Like I said, this flu isn’t throwing me into a panic. I don’t intend to lock the doors and live off the food in my basement — and I don’t even own a shotgun! But it’s nice to know that my frugal shopping has an unintended consequence: Peace of mind, just in case.