Pasta for 34 Cents? Free Detergent? Here’s How to Get It

Deal “stacking” is a money-saving technique that tends to be easier understood via example than definition.

So we’ve rounded up some real-life bargains you can actually go out and redeem this week. They include:

• Pasta for 34 cents a box
• Fabric softener for free
• Laundry detergent (trial size) for free

Following is everything you need to know to claim yours.

How to get it

First off, know that there are multiple ways to stack — meaning “combine” — discounts. This is partly why it can be hard to grasp the concept.

In the following examples, you will stack the same two types of discounts:

• A discount from Target’s free deals app, Cartwheel. Cartwheel can be downloaded from Google Play if you have a mobile device with the Android operating system, or from iTunes if you have a device with Apple’s iOS operating system
• A manufacturer’s coupon. This can be printed for free from Coupons.com. If you’ve never printed from this website before, note that you’ll first need to install Coupons.com’s Coupon Printer tool on your computer. Easy-to-follow directions can be found here if you need help.

That brings us to a caveat: Cartwheel discounts and manufacturer’s coupons can only be redeemed at Target stores, not at Target.com. So if you don’t live near a store, you should probably stop reading this and try one of our other money-saving stories.

Now, the deals: First, you’ll reduce the price of 12-ounce boxes of Barilla Pronto pasta from $1.42 to $0.34 — or 76 percent.

We use $1.42 as a starting point based on Target’s website — although it’s actually on sale, bringing the price down to $1.27. You might see slightly different regular or sale prices in stores.

Step 1

Download the Cartwheel app if you haven’t already and pull up the offer for 30 percent off 12-ounce boxes of Barilla Pronto pasta.

Then hit the red “add” button, which adds the offer to your “My Cartwheel” list, enabling you to redeem the offer in stores.

Your bottom-line savings after Step 1: $1.27 to $0.89.

Note that we are applying the Cartwheel discount first because Target applies Cartwheel discounts before manufacturers’ coupons, according to the Krazy Coupon Lady blog.

Step 2

Visit Coupons.com and print out the coupon for 55 cents off one box of Barilla Pronto pasta.

Your (final) bottom-line savings after Step 2: $0.89 to $0.34.

Step 3

Now that you know your savings, it’s time to head to Target and claim your prize. When you get there, grab a 12-ounce box of Barilla Pronto pasta.

When you reach the checkout aisle, just show the cashier your Cartwheel app on your mobile device and hand over the printed coupon.

Now, it’s your turn

If you’re up for more, try one of these stacking exercises that yield free laundry products from the environmentally friendly brand Seventh Generation (SG):

• Coupons.com’s coupon for $2 off an SG liquid laundry product + Cartwheel’s discount for 50 percent off a five-load trial size of SG liquid laundry detergent = free. (The All Things Target blog reports the trial size costs $2.99.)
• The same Coupons.com coupon + Cartwheel’s discount for $2 off one SG laundry product = free 32-ounce liquid fabric softener. (Target is selling that size for $4, according to its website.)

Do you stack deals? Let us know what types of deals you most often combine in our Forums. It’s a place where you can swap questions and answers on money-related matters, life hacks and ingenious ways to save.