Lesson Learned

Ugh! I learned a lesson trying to shop at CVS and Walgreen's today. Do NOT try to go into the stores with an idea of what to get, but not properly planning out the costs of each item. I prepared a few coupons for CVS the other night when I was getting ready for my normal grocery shopping, but didn't really decide what all I was going to buy. So, today I decided I was going to go on to CVS and Walgreen's as fast as I could and then come home to relax for a while. "As fast as I could" = Mistake #2. I threw together a few more CVS coupons and some Walgreen's ones and headed out the door. I really didn't do too bad, but I could have done SO much better. I won't even go into specifics tonight because it's not something ya'll will want to do yourselves, but here's what I got.

For about $13 at CVS (if I had paid attention I could have spent closer to $10):
Complete Contact Solution
4 bottles of NYC Nail Polish
2 cans of Blue Diamond Almonds
Goggles
4 Easter M&M Eggs

For just under $10 from Walgreen's (plus $2 in RR to use next time):
2 bottles of Herbal Essences Shampoo
Gillette Fusion Razor
Small package of Soft Batch Cookies

Really, the prices are still much better than I could have done at Walmart or Target, but it's frustrating to go in and pay more than I should have. At Walgreen's I had gathered my coupons so quickly that I misread one and was unable to use it (a difference of $3.50).

So, take it from me, it's worth spending the time at home to prepare your shopping trips! I could have saved an extra $7 today. It doesn't sound like much, but over a year that's more than $350. I could do something with $350!!

Kroger Savings - 3/27/11

I know it has been FOREVER since I've blogged, but I did so good at Kroger today that I wanted to share it with you. Hopefully this will get me in the mood to start saving more often and blogging more often. If you have coupons from January then you should be able to do this at Kroger too. They are having a Mega Event where you buy 10 participating items and get $5 off instantly. The first price I show is the Mega Event price. Here's how I saved 91%:

Motrin PM $2.49 - Buy 2 and use $6 off 2 from 1/9 SS - $.51 overage each
Aquafresh Training Toothbrush $1 - Buy 2 and use 2 $.50/1 printable - free
Sunny D $.89 - Use $.25/1 from 1/16 SS - $.14
Dannon Activia Yogurt $1.49 - Use $1/1 from 3/6 SS - $.49
Kraft 2% Singles $1.49 - Buy 2 and use 2 $1/1 printable - $.49 each
BandAids $1.99 - Buy 2 and use $.50/1 from 1/9 SS and 2/13 RP - $.99 each

The regular price total was just over $30. I paid $2.47. If you add it all up it comes to $2.57. The extra $.10 is from the tax on the toothbrushes. I'm not sure how that works, but that's where it is from. My cashier said that she wants to start shopping with me!! Did you get any good deals this week?

Deals this Week 11/7

It has been a LLOONNGG week! I'm not going to give you all of my excuses; I'm just going to make this quick and easy for you. If you want to see some of the best deals this week at CVS and Walgreen's then check out Money Saving Mom's website. I didn't find anything exciting enough to work out a plan for unless you need some stuff to bake with (Walgreen's) or some Garnier goodies (also Walgreen's).

Have a great week and hopefully we'll be back Tuesday evening with a fitness-related post.

Roller Coaster Halloween with CVS & Walgreen's

Wow! What a roller coaster day! Please be praying for the Brashear family as they lost their 8-year old daughter, Anna, to complications of leukemia today. She was diagnosed less than two weeks ago. Her mom told me today that her passing was God's way of keeping her from suffering. She also said to give your kids extra hugs every day.

We've also had a lot of fun today. It was Rangers Day at church so we all wore our Rangers t-shirts. Then the kids put their costumes on for their cousin's birthday party, our church's carnival and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this I stopped by CVS and Walgreen's. I had an $8 Register Reward to Walgreen's that expired today so I had to use it. Here's what I did there:

Transaction #1
Zarbee's Cough Syrup - $5.99
Cotton Balls - $1.59
     Wags Cpn - $.60 off
Nail Polish Remover - $1.79
     Wags Cpn - $.80 off
M&Ms - $.59
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.46
     Register Reward - $8
     Total OOP - $.46
     Register Rewards Earned - $6

Transaction #2
Febreeze Flameless Candle - $11.99 (25% off)
     Febreeze Cpn - PG mailer - $4.00
Febreeze Flameless Refills - $5.49
     Febreeze Cpn - Buy Candle, Get Refills Free - PG 10/31 - $5.49
M&Ms - .59 (needed one more item to use my RR)
     Wags Cpn - $.10 off
Total: $8.68
     Register Reward - $6
     Total OOP - $2.68

It was a little more than I expected, but still great. Online the candle was only $11.25 and I didn't think about needing a third item so I spent $1.23 more than I planned. Oh well!! Here's what I did at CVS:

Transaction #1
Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush - $4.99
     Oral B Cpn - PG 10/31 - $3 off
Total: $1.99
     ECBs - $2 (changed down to $1.99)
     Total OOP - $0.00
     ECBs earned - $2

Transaction #2
Bounce Dryer Bar 2 pack - $3.99
     Bounce Cpn - Vocalpoint mailer - $2.50 off
Rice Krispies Treat - $.99 (the shelf said $.69, but I didn't check it and was charged $.99)
Total: $2.50
     ECBs - $2
     Total OOP - $.50

I hope you all have a great week!

CVS & Walgreen's 10/17/10

Well, last week I shopped some at Sam's and a lot at Kroger. I spent almost double what I had been spending lately, but this week all I needed to buy was bread and milk. There were a couple of good deals at CVS this week and a lot at Walgreen's. At CVS I planned to buy 6 things of Mentos gum, a hand sanitizer that CVS sent out a free coupon for and a bag of candy because I was going to have overage with the gum and needed to buy something so that they didn't owe me money. They were out of the gum, so here's what I did:

CVS Hand Sanitizer - $1.99
     CVS coupon - $1.99
Bag of Fun Size Skittles - $2.50 (Regular $4, shelf price said $3, not sure why it was just $2.50)
     CVS coupon when I scanned my card at the door - $1
Total OOP - $1.62 (I had planned to use a $2 ECB that I had, but the cost was not high enough)

At Walgreen's I didn't think I would be able to find anything, but I actually found it all. The only thing that didn't work out the way I planned was that she had to lower the value of my coupons so that I did not get any overage. It was a difference of $1. Here's what I did:

Transaction #1
Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment - $2.59
Nivea Men's Body Wash - $2.50
     Nivea - 10/17 SS - $3/1 (adjusted down to $2.50)
3 Campbell's "Cream of" Soups - $1.59 each
     Walgreen's Ad - $.79 each
     Campbell's Printable - $1.50/3
Caramel Candy - $.33 (because I had more coupons than items, I think)
     Register Rewards from last week - $1.50 and $1
     Total OOP - $1.29
Register Rewards Earned - $2.60

Transaction #2
Mucinex Nasal Spray - $7.99
2 Ricola Cough Drops - $1.00 each
     Walgreen's Monthly Coupon Book - $.50 each
     Ricola - 10/17 SS - $1/2
2 Coffeemate Creamers - $2.49 each
     Walgreen's Ad - B1G1 Free
     2 Coffee-mate Printables - $1.50 (adjusted down)
     Register Rewards from Trans #1 - $2.60
     Total OOP - $5.59
Register Rewards Earned - $8.00

So, considering Register Rewards and cash, I was out $1.38 for all 11 products. I'm pleased with that! Plus, it gives me a good start on any deals next week with my $8 RR.

Be on the lookout tomorrow for some deals with Swagbucks. It sounds to me like they will be doing something special for anyone new that signs up. I'll keep you posted on my Facebook. Have a fabulous week!!

Why Should I Use Swagbucks?

Well, last week I didn't get a chance to sit and write a blog about my deals of the week. And this week I didn't get a chance to research any deals of the week because we were out of town. So, I've decided to tell you a little more about Swagbucks. I'm fairly new to it, but so far it has been GREAT! I've had my account for less than two months and I have already redeemed $15 in Amazon giftcards. I'm only a few days away from another $5 one!  Christmas is just three months away, and I hope to get several gifts from Amazon using my Swagbucks. It's not too late, you can do it too!

First off you need to go here to create an account. It's free and doesn't require any sensitive personal information. Plus, you get 30 free bucks just for creating an account.

Once you have an account you should download their toolbar. It gives you a search box, your total bucks and links to everything you might need from the Swagbucks site.

Use the search box!! There's no guarantee of earning bucks for searches, but I have been very successful with searching a little in the morning, in the afternoon and then late in the evening. I also stay signed in on my phone and do my mobile searches through Swagbucks. I usually earn anywhere from 6-12 bucks up to three times each day.

They also reward you for using their tools. I get one buck each day for having the toolbar, one buck each day for skipping through the NOSO (no obligation special offers), one buck each day for participating in the Daily Poll, and one buck each day for checking to see if any Trusted Surveys are available for me.

After you have been a member for one week, you are eligible to take the Trusted Surveys. The best part of this starting off is that you have around 15 profile surveys to take that you get rewarded for. I've been able to participate in about three Trusted Surveys. They have been VERY interesting! One of them I was able to watch several potential commercials and give my opinions about them. Natalie was asked to do one where she watched a movie trailer and then answered questions about how interesting the movie looked to her.

By the way, there are thousands of rewards that you can use your bucks for if you are not interested in Amazon giftcards. I just do the Amazon giftcards because I know that I will use them and Amazon lets you stack as many as you want.

So, what are you waiting for?? Free money is never a bad thing!!

CVS Deals for 9/5 - 9/11

I did all of our grocery shopping today because we have plans tomorrow evening and we were already out of bread. I just went to Wal-Mart since we were on that side of town; I saved $6.55 with coupons and only spent around $70. I do plan to go to CVS tomorrow to get some free gum and Sobe drinks. None of the other deals at CVS or Walgreen's seemed to be very good. Here's my plan:

2 - Trident Layers Gum - $.99 each
     Facebook Coupon - $1/2
     ECB from last week - $1
4 - SoBe lifewater - B1G1
     2 Heads or Tails Game Coupons - B1G1
Total OOP - $0.00
ECBs earned - $1

On the SoBe site you can only play the game once per day, but you can print the coupon twice. After the coupon prints the first time use your back button. Then refresh the page and tell it to "Retry" to send the information again. This will send it to your printer twice. You can do that with most internet printables. On sites like coupons.com they still count it towards your limit of prints, so it's not "cheating the system".

By the way, there will be no coupons in this week's paper because it is a holiday weekend. Have a great Labor Day!!

Sunday's Quick Trip

Whew! I am SO glad that school has started again! But, the weekend of celebrating Natalie's birthday and getting ready for school to start left me having to shop as quick as I could. I left the house at 7:05 Sunday evening, went to CVS, Kroger and Walgreen's, and was home by 7:55 to put the kids to bed.

I had a great plan for CVS, but really didn't expect it all to work out that well. It didn't work out at all like I planned (they were out of a few items) but I still feel like it was a pretty good outcome. Earlier in the week I used my $7.99 ECBs because I was almost out of mascara. I got 2 things of mascara and ended up with $5 in ECBs to start this week. I am almost out of deodorant and we only had 1 Aleve tablet left so it worked out well. Here's what I did this week:

2 Mitchum for Women deodorant - $2.50 each
1 100-ct Aleve - $7.99
     Mitchum $1 (expired 8/22)
     Mitchum - 8/22 SmartSource - $.75
     Aleve - Coupons.com - $2
     ECBs from last week - $5
Total OOP - $4.24
ECBs earned - $1

Kroger was just where I went to get groceries this week because I had to be quick. I remembered why I have been shopping at the Kroger on the Loop! Wow, it was packed and I couldn't find things! Ughh!! I eventually found everything I needed except for almonds for Chris, but I remembered that those were on sale at Walgreen's this week. Soooo, I ran to Walgreen's and got a can on almonds for $1. They were on sale for $2 and I used a $1 off from 8/22 Smartsource.

Did you find any great deals this week?

CVS Paid Me...

Wow! CVS and Kroger were great today! Somehow Natalie has managed to spread her birthday out this week from Wednesday to Sunday, so we didn't need a whole lot of groceries. But, I was able to get several free or really cheap snacks, so we are stocked up for at least a couple of weeks.

Here's what I did at CVS:

Blink Eyedrops - $7.99
2x Right Guard Deodorant - $4.49 each
4x SoBe Lifewater - $1.59 each
     Blink - RP 8/15 - $1
     CVS Right Guard B1G1 - $4.49
     Right Guard - RP 7/25 - B1G1
     CVS SoBe B1G1 - $1.59 x2
     Sobe.com B1G1 - $1.59 x2
     ECBs from last week - $5.00
Total OOP - $1.99
ECBs earned - $7.99

So, for $5 in ECBs and $1.99 cash, I came out of there with $7.99 ECBs, plus 7 products. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure I came out ahead here!! :)


At Kroger I spent $25 and saved $43! The first price is the sale price and then the price in parentheses is what I actually paid. Here's part of what I did using their Buy 8 participating products, Get $4 Off instantly:

Pillsbury Sweet Moments Dessert - $2.49 (Free)
     GM 8/8 - $1
     Cellfire - $1
     B8G4 Off - $.50
2x Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls - $1.69 each ($.19 each)
     2x Online Promotion Coupon - $.50 each doubled to $1.00 each
     B8G4 Off - $.50 each
2x Hot Pockets Side Shots - $1.99 each ($.49 each)
     2x Like Hot Pockets on Facebook - $1.00 each
     B8G4 Off - $.50 each
SoBe Lifewater - $1.00 ($.50)
     B8G4 Off - $.50
Caramel Bugles - $1.49 (Free)
     GM 8/8 - $.50 doubled to $1.00
     B8G4 Off - $.50
Chex Mix - $1.49 (made $.50)
     Smartsource.com - $.50 doubled to $1.00
     Cellfire - $.50
     B8G4 Off - $.50

Here's another 8 item example that I did:

4x Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks - $1.99 each ($1.00 each)
     2x GM 8/8 - $.50 off 2 doubled to $1.00
     B8G4 Off - $.50 each
Betty Crocker Warm Delights - $1.99 (made $.25)
     Smartsource.com - $.50 doubled to $1.00
     Kroger eCoupons - $.75
     B8G4 Off - $.50
Welch's Squeeze Grape Jelly - $1.99 ($1.49)
     B8G4 Off - $.50
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers - $1.88 each ($1.38 each)
     B8G4 Off - $.50 each

Did YOU get any good deals this week??

Sunday's Deals - 8/15

Wow! Lots of free stuff this week if the stores are well-stocked! Here's a few deals for each store:

Kroger
Pillsbury Sweet Moments Refrigerated Desserts - $2.49
     General Mills 8/8 - $1.00/1
     Cellfire - $1.00/1
     Buy 8 mix & match participating products, Get $4 Off Deal - $.50
Total OOP - FREE

Caramel Bugles - $1.49
     General Mills 8/8 - $.50/1
     Buy 8, Get $4 Off - $.50
Total OOP - FREE

Revlon Emery Boards, 10ct - $.94
     Smartsource 8/15 - $1.00/1
Total OOP - FREE


CVS
Blink Tears Eye Drops - $7.99
     Printable Coupon - $1.50/1 (CVS on University does not always accept printables, not sure about Teasley)
Total OOP - $6.49 (or $7.99 with no coupon)
ECBs Earned - $7.99

2 Right Guard or Dry Idea - Buy 1, Get 1 FREE
     Red Plum 7/25 - B1G1
Total OOP - FREE for both

Glide Pro-Health Floss - $3.49
     Proctor & Gamble 8/1 - $1.00/1
Total OOP - $2.49
ECBs earned - $2.50



Walgreen's
2 Right Guard or Dry Idea - Buy 1, Get 1 FREE
     Red Plum 7/25 - B1G1
Total OOP - FREE for both

1 Stride Gum & 1 Stride Shift Gum
     Smartsource 5/16 - Buy 1 Stride Gum, Get 1 Stride Shift Gum
     Walgreen's Weekly Ad - B1G1 Stride Gum
Total OOP - FREE for both

3 M&Ms - $.49 each (make sure sizes match coupon)
     Red Plum 7/25 - $1 off 3
Total OOP - $.47

Expensive Week, But Under Budget

Ughh! What a frustrating shopping night! It took me 2-1/2 hours and I did pretty good, but I know I could have done it better and faster and that annoys me. Oh well, at least I stayed under budget.

My first stop was to CVS where they had nothing I was looking for so I drove to the other CVS where I found almost everything. I did my math wrong though and spent $4 instead of $2. Good thing is that I saved $45!!

I went to Wal-Mart next and spent almost $100, but finished off the school supply list (after searching, searching and more searching) and got about a 3-week supply of chips, corn dogs and waffles. I meant to look for a coupon at Wal-Mart to use at Walgreen's, but I was so involved in searching for school supplies that I forgot. So, that got me off to a slow start at Walgreen's. I spent $9.65 and only saved $9.58.

To top the night off, I went to Kroger to get gas and for the first time in a long time I did not get the $.10 off per gallon. At least it was still cheaper than across the street.

Even though I could have done better, I was still successful at CVS, so here's what I did:

Transaction #1
Dulcolax Balance - $9.99
     Dulcolax SS 5/16 - $4
     ECBs from last week - $5
OOP - $.99
ECBs earned - $9.99

Transaction #2
Lysol Hands Free Starter Kit - $9.99
2 - Betty Crocker Warm Delights (B1G1) - $2.29
Softsoap - $.99
2 - Composition Notebooks - $.66 each (only $.20 at Walgreen's, another mistake I made)
2 - Kotex - $2.50 each
     Lysol SS 7/11 - $3 (in my head this was for $5, that's why I spent an extra $2)
     2 - Warm Delights SS 6/27 and GM 8/8 - $.75 each
     Softsoap SS 7/25 - $.35
     Kotex SS 8/8 - $2
     ECBs from Trans #1 - $9.99
OOP - $3.06
ECBs earned - $5

How did you do this week??

Four Good Stores This Week

I went into this week hoping for the best, but not really expecting much to work. The only store that was out of stuff was Kroger with the $4 off instantly promotion. My first stop was CVS:

Transaction #1
3 20-ct boxes of Toy Story Band Aids - $3.59 each
M&Ms - $.50
     ECBs from last week's photo book - $7.99
     Band Aid 8/1 Smartsource - $3 off 3
Total OOP - $.28
ECBs earned - $5

Transaction #2
Gillette Fusion Power Razor - $9.79
     ECBs from Trans #1 - $5
     Gillette Fusion 8/1 Proctor & Gamble - $4
Total OOP - $.86
ECBs earned - $5

Not only did I get all of that stuff for just $1.14 out of pocket, but I can send in the proofs of purchase from the Band Aids to receive a free Toy Story 3 book! My next stop was Walgreen's. I messed up there by missing a $3 off coupon, but I still think I did great:

Transaction #1
Alive! Multivitamins 50ct - $10
Total OOP - $10
     Register Rewards earned - $10

Transaction #2
Bayer Aspirin AM 50ct (this is the Walgreen's $3 off that I missed)
Dawn Dish Detergent
Visine
2x Highlighter 6pk
Erasers cap 15pk
2x Erasers big pink 2pk
Pointed Scissors
Crayola Crayons 24pk
Wooden Ruler
Plastic School Box
Filler Paper 280shts
2x Spiral Notebook 70shts
2x 2-Pocket Folder with Prongs
     Bayer AM 8/1 RedPlum - $2
     Bayer AM Walgreen's August Book - $3 (the one I missed)
     Dawn 8/1 Proctor & Gamble - $.25
     Visine 6/13 RedPlum - $1
     Visine Walgreen's August Book - $2
     Register Rewards from Transaction #1 - $10
Total OOP - $.75

So, while I got a lot of great stuff, I could have used another $2.25 if I had been paying closer attention. Oh well! My next stop was Kroger where I wanted to do one transaction of the Proctor & Gamble $4 off instantly promotion plus get some free toothpaste.  They were out of most of the P&G items that I was looking for, so I bought the Crest toothpaste that was on sale 10 for $10 and used the $.50 off coupon from 8/1 P&G to get it for free. I also bought some Act II popcorn because our WalMart doesn't carry it.
I had planned to go to WalMart for the rest of our groceries, but then on Wednesday I was going to Albertson's to buy the Frito-Lay 22ct Chips with their coupon for $4.99. Well, WalMart had those chip packs on sale for $5.69 (I've never seen them under $6.29) plus each bag had a coupon for $1 off any loaf of bread. So, it saved me a trip to Albertson's and $.30 on each bag of chips.
Overall, it was a great day of shopping! I only spent $8 more than half of my budget!! I love coupons!! :-)

Walgreen's Plan 7/25

Super slow week at Walgreen's coming up. If I decide to head that way these are the things I will pick up:

2-Pocket Folder with Prongs - $.09 - Limit 5
Composition Book - $.69 - Limit 3
Ajax Cleanser - 3/$1 - Limit 6
Command Hooks or Strips - $.50 after coupon
     $1 off - printable
Pilot EasyTouch Pens - FREE after coupon
     $1 off - printable
M&Ms - buy 3 - $.16 each after coupon - Limit 6
     $.49 Walgreen's Ad
     7/25 Red Plum - $1/3

There are a couple of deals that I have already used the coupons for that you may be interested in:

Gillette Fusion Razor - $9.89
     6/6 Proctor & Gamble $4/1
Total OOP - $5.89
Register Rewards earned - $5

Children's Dimetapp - not sure of price
     $2 off Walgreen's Ad coupon
     $2/1 from http://www.dimetapp.com/
Total OOP - If it's not $2 or less then I would wait for a better deal

Happy Shopping!!!

CVS Plan 7/25

I'm not too impressed with the sales at CVS this week, but they do have a couple of things that earn great ECBs. So, this week will be a little different for me; I'm spreading it out. Here's the plan:

Sunday, July 25
U by Kotex - $4.99
     $1/1 found at http://www.ubykotex.com/get_coupons/overview
Total Out-of-Pocket - $4.32
ECBs earned - $4.99

Saturday, July 31 (when we get back from Sea World)
Photo Book - $7.99
     ECBs from 7/25 - $4.99
Total OOP - $3.25
ECBs earned - $7.99

Sunday, August 1
Frito-Lay Multipack Chips - $6.99
Altoids - $1.49
     ECBs from 7/31 - $7.99
Total OOP - $.49
ECBs earned - $1.00

I might buy candy with that $1.00 or I might save it for the next week. I'll have to see how my sweet tooth is doing that day. :)
Basically, for the price of the photo book I will have the book, pads, chips that we eat every week and some candy. I can handle that! Walgreen's is coming up next...

Kroger Plan for 7/25

Apparently there are some good coupons coming out in tomorrow's paper. Yay!! We're going on vacation this week, so I'm not doing major grocery shopping, but there are some deals that I cannot pass up. Here's my plan for tomorrow at Kroger:

Qty/Item                                    Coupon                                 Final Price
2 Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs  -  Coupons.com $1/2       =       $1.49 each
2 Quaker Chewy Granola Bars - 7/25 Red Plum $.75/2     =     $1.12 each
1 Palmolive Liquid Dish Soap  -  7/25 Smartsource $.25    =     $.74
Softsoap Liquid Handsoap    -    7/25 Smartsource $.35    =     FREE
2 Irish Spring Bar Soap      -       7/25 Smartsource $.50/2   =   $.50 each
Colgate Toothpaste        -           7/25 Smartsource $.50     =    $.50
Speedstick Deodorant       -       7/25 Smartsource $.50     =     FREE

Total OOP - $7.46 plus about $.18 in tax

Notice that the highest value coupon is $1/2. That's pretty good for some little coupons!! Stay tuned tonight to see what I work up for CVS and Walgreen's.

Back to Couponing

Well, I’ve decided it’s time to get back to couponing. We have 3 vacations planned in the next 11 months (crazy, I know) and it just makes sense to save money wherever we can. I didn’t think I would do too much this week, but it ended up being ok. I saved 16% at Kroger and 93% at Walgreen’s. Kroger wasn’t great, but Walgreen’s was! Last week, Chris’ parents gave me a coupon for $5 off at Walgreen’s so that gave me a great place to start. I didn’t need much from their ad, but with the $5 I was able to make it work. Here’s what I did:

Transaction #1
Gillette Fusion Razor – $9.89
Gillette Fusion Coupon – ($4.00)
Walgreen’s Coupon – ($5.00)
Total Out-of-Pocket (OOP) – $1.38 (Tax was taken on $5.89)
Register Rewards Earned – $5.00

Transaction #2
Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste – $2.99
Duracell Coppertop AA 4-pack – $4.99
2x 10-pack of Yellow Pencils – $.38
5-pack of Mechanical Pencils – $.19
3x 10-pack of Pens – $.57
Colgate Coupon – $.75
Duracell Coupon – $.75
Walgreen’s Duracell Coupon – $2.00
Register Rewards from Trans #1 – $5.00
Total OOP – $.62Register Rewards Earned – $2.00

So, I paid $2 OOP for about $25 worth of stuff and I will have $2 to start the process over with next week. Works for me!

Did anyone else have a good shopping trip??

$35 Under Budget!

Woohoo!! You saw the title, so you know why I’m happy. Grocery shopping is a lot more fun when you don’t spend very much! Just so you know, I consider it a “grocery” if it can be bought at Walmart. We include all kinds of things in our “Grocery” budget. I went to Walmart, Kroger and Walgreen’s this week. Walmart was for the majority of the groceries, printer ink, a few school supplies (we’re starting early), and a musical birthday card. I got 3 boxes of Crystal Light PureFitness Drink Mixes for free! My really big successes were at Walgreen’s and Kroger, though. Here’s what I did at Walgreen’s:

Transaction #1
2 6-packs of Slim-Fast drinks – 2/$10
Register Rewards from last week – $2
Printable Slim-Fast coupon – $1
Total OOP – $7.00
Register Rewards Earned – $2.00

Transaction #2
2 Oscar Mayer Deli Lunchmeats – 2/$5
Mini Oreos Big Bag – $.50
Mini Nutter Butters Big Bag – $.50
Folder with Brads – $.13
80-pack of Envelopes – $.69
Oscar Mayer Lunchmeat Coupon – $1.00
Nabisco Coupon – $1.00
Register Rewards from Trans #1 – $2.00
Total OOP – $2.82

Just the Slim-Fast alone at any other store would have cost more than I paid for all of that stuff!!

Here’s what I did at Kroger:

Schick Hyrdo5 Razor – $7.19
2 Loaves of Mrs. Baird’s Bread – $2.00
2 Bags of Fast Fixin’ Chicken Nuggets – $2.00
Act II Popcorn 6-pack – $3.79
2 Mini Ben & Jerry’s Ice Creams – $2.00
Blue Bell Pint – $1.99
Coupon from last week’s trip for buying Dole oranges – $.75
Schick Razor loaded on card – $4.00
Schick Razor from paper – $5.00
Ben & Jerry’s from mail + double – $1.00
Ben & Jerry’s from mail + double – $1.00
Fast Fixin’ Chicken Printable – $1.00
Fast Fixin’ Chicken Printable – $1.00
Total OOP – $5.07

My receipt at Kroger told me I saved 80%!! The popcorn and ice cream were impulse buys, but if I had not gotten them the store would have owed me money! I don’t think that’s allowed! Haha!!

Leave a comment and tell me how you did this week!!

Grocery Shopping CAN be Fun!

WOW! I only spent half of our budget this week!! It’s only my third week back into couponing and it’s already making a huge difference. I couldn’t find much to do at CVS or Walgreen’s this week, but Kroger was having a Mega Event. All you have to do is mix and match 10 items that are specially marked and you automatically get $5 off! All it takes is planning and counting. At Wal-Mart I bought 2 bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks for $.98. Here’s the link to a coupon for $3 off: http://chefsrequested.com/coupons-.aspx. Apparently at some Wal-Marts the price is as low as $3.28 making them only $.28!

I’m not the only one having grocery shopping success. One of my friends spent $60.08 at Kroger and saved $78.39!! WOW! That included 4 deodorants, 2 toothpastes, 2 toothbrushes and lots of snacks. She also went to CVS and spent $10.19 on stomach meds that are usually $9.99, 2 packs of facial cleansing cloths, 3 packs of gum, 3 packs of pens and dry erase markers. She did two transactions there and saved $31.55. Here’s a quote from her, “Between two stores I saved over $100 and all stuff that we will use!! Not bad for about an hour and a half of planning!”.

How did you do this week??