Shopping Trip 11/6

8 Toaster Strudel (BOGO @ $2.39) = $9.56
minus 4 1 Box Free coupons = $0

2 cartons of Hood Simply Smart Milk (BOGO @ $3.59) = $3.59
minus 2 $1 off 1 Man Q's = $1.59

2 7.5 oz tub of Country Crock butter spread (BOGO @ $1.69) = $1.69
minus 2 $.50 off 1 Target Q's and 2 $.40 off 1 Man Q's = $.89

2 Schick Quattro Titanium Razors (BOGO @ $8.99) = $8.99
minus 2 $2 off 1 Man Q (10/24/2010 Smart Source Insert) = $4.99

2 16oz Coffee Mate Creamers (4 for $6) = $3
minus 2 $1.50 off 1 Man Q's = $0

2 boxes of Krusteaz Cookie Mixes (BOGO @ $2.19) = $2.19
minus 2 $.55/1 Man Qs (blinkies) = $1.09

2 12 oz cans of Maxwell House Coffee (2 for $5) = $5
minus 2 $1 off 1 Man Q's (9/26 Smart Source Insert) and 1 $2/2 Target Q's = $1

1 50 oz Bottle of Wisk laundry detergent (On sale for $4.49) = $4.49
minus 1 $2 off 1 Target Q and 1 $1 off 1 Man Q = $1.49

2 bags of Rold Gold Pretzels (BOGO @ $2.99) = $2.99

1 Yellow Onion = $.35

1 bunch of Garlic = $.33

1 Bag of Carrot Chips = $1.69

6 eggs = $.79

The total before coupons came to $44.66, so we used a $5 off $20 Publix Coupon and a $5 off $30 Aldi Coupon ($34.66). After subtracting all the coupons listed above, we owed only $7 (plus $.88 in tax).

After all coupons, our grand total (including tax) was $7.88. That gives us a savings rate of 90.5% for this week! Woot!

Grocery Tracking 7/11 to 9/18

Since I "got serious" about couponing, I have been tracking my savings. I wanted to know if all the work was worth it. I began this process on the 11th of July this past year. Each week I log my savings from coupons, store sales, how much I spent, and calculate my total savings in dollars as well as a percentage.

Since that time I have spent a grand total of $211.87, and saved $1,034.72. $540.83 of that savings is from coupons. My savings expressed as a percentage from July 11th through the end of this week comes to 83% even.

Not going to lie - I'm pretty impressed with myself. :)

Free Jr. Shake at Arby's

 

I realize that this is terrible for you, but if you find yourself needing a little Jamocha in your life before 9/21, use this to get it for $0.

Free(ish) Personalized Calendar!

 

Visit this website to get yourself a free personalized calendar. Not only can you upload your favorite pictures, but you can have important dates printed for you. No messy ink reminders... I love it! Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays - all clearly marked and ready to go. You do have to pay for shipping (although you should always check retailmenot.com as they are always getting new deals), but that amounts to $5. It's worth it to me. I don't want a calendar that has pictures of birds when I can have one that doubles as a picture frame. Enjoy!

Saving on the "Good Stuff"

I just got an email from Farm Fresh with a coupon for $2 off any $4+ purchase of Perdue Chicken. Every two weeks or so I get a coupon for some type of fresh groceries - eggs, milk, meat, produce. It is especially nice since these items rarely have coupons. If you would like to take advantage of their offers, you can sign up here.

Virtual Savings

I love to shop with coupons. I love to shop sales with coupons. But there are those days when you really, really want (or need) to do a little online shopping. Sometimes you can get a fabulous deal, other times a little help is necessary. Enter Retailmenot.com.

I can consistently find coupon codes for free shipping, a percentage off an entire purchase, or a free gift. I NEVER buy anything offline until I have checked with this site first.  

Grocery Planning 9.9.10

This is what I am planning on buying on my grocery adventure this evening. We'll see how closely I can stick to it. I know that I'll be buying some produce, and maybe some meat (if I can score that awesome B1G2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast coupon like Esther had). At any rate, I will fall well below my $20 goal unless the sky falls (in which case I have much bigger problems anyway).

Planning for CVS 8/23

Things are well in CVS Land this week - many good deals to be had! This is my plan of attack:

Transaction #1:
1 Blink Tears (limit one) $7.99, Earn $7.99 ECBs
1 Listerine Zero (limit two) $3.99, Earn $2 ECBs
-$1.50/1 Blink Tears
-$2/1 Listerine Zero
- Use $7.99 ECBs from last week

Total: $0.49, Earned $9.99 ECBs


Transaction #2:
10 Fuze Drinks 10 for $10, Earn 5 ECBs
-Use $9.99 ECBs from above

Total: $.01, Earned $5 ECBs


Transaction #3:
2 Crest Pro Health Gum Protection $3.49 each, Earn 5 ECBs
-2 $.75/1 Crest Coupon (8/1 P&G)
-Use $5 ECBs from above

Total: $.48, Earned $5 ECBs


Transaction #4:
2 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kits $5 each, Earn 3 ECBs
1 Listerine Zero $3.99, Earn 2 ECBs
-2 $3/1 Glade Starter Kit
-$2/1 Listerine Zero
-Use 5 ECBs from above

Total: $0.99, Earned $5 ECBs


Total: $1.97 Out of Pocket, 5 ECBs to use next week

Success at Publix - 8.19

Purchased:

6 boxes of whole wheat Barilla pasta (3 $1/2 Man) : $1.17
4 Kids Cuisine Meals (4 $1/1 Target, 1 $1/2 Man Q - All You 05/10) : -$0.22
4 boxes Hamburger Helper (2 $1/2 Target, 1 $.75/3 Man Q 8/8 RP) : $1.15
2 boxes Finish Dish Detergent (2 $1/1 Man) : $4.99
2 24ct bottles of Excedrin Tension headache (2 $1/1 Man) : $0.98
2 24ct bottles of Excedrin Migraine (2 $1/1 Man Qs 7/11 RP) : $0.98
2 boxes Pepperidge Farms Crisps (2 $1/1 Man) : $1.49
2 45ct boxes of Hefty trash bags (2 $1/1 Man) : $4.89
2 containers of Planters Peanuts (2 $1/1 Target, 1 $1/2 Man) : $2.89
2 packages of Chips Ahoy! cookies (1 $.75/2 Man 8/8 SS) : $2.94
6 boxes of Honest Kids juice pouches (6 $1/1 Whole Foods, 6 $.75/1 Man) : $10.44
Bartlett Pears $.99/lb : $2.13
Pluto Plums $.99/lb : $.97

Total Before Coupons: $70.02

- Publix $5/50
- World Market $10/30
- 2 Save-a-Lot $5/20
- Rain Check on Honest Kids Drinks (B3, G3): $10.47

Total: $.04 Out of Pocket, Saved $49.14 in sales and $58 in coupons: $107.14 or 99.96%.

We literally paid 4 pennies for all this stuff.

Picture to come...

Final Publix Plan

I am ready to put this plan into action! I'll post photos of my bounty after I have prevailed! ;)

CVS Trip 8.17

My CVS Trip looked a little different than expected. The candies weren't on sale in the right size, and the deodorant was more expensive. I still did alright, though.

Transaction 1:

Gillette ProGlide Razor $9.99, Earn $5 ECBs
-$4/1 Gillette ProGlide Razor (8/8 P&G)

Purex Laundry Sheets $5.99, Earn 2 ECBs
- $3/1 Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets Coupon (8/15 RP)

4 Right Guard Deodorants $4.49 (B1G1) $8.98
-2 $3/2 Printables (no longer available)

Total: 13.71 (including tax), Earned $7 ECBs

Transaction 2:

Blink Tears $7.99, Earn $7.99 ECBs
-$1.50/1 Printable
-Use $5 ECBs from above

Total: $1.49 (including tax), Earned $7.99 ECBs

Grand Total: $15.20 OOP, Saved $15.98 on sales and $19.50 in Qs (70%), $9.99 in ECBs left over to use next week.

Planning for Publix: 8/15 - 8/21

This is just my blueprint... A few things usually change before my Thursday night shopping trips. Also, if I can't find the varieties I need for me coupons to be valid I also have to make alterations. This is a start, though. If all goes as planned, my total before coupons will be $58.13, after coupons it should be $4.15. Under $5 for 34 items is okay by me.

I had to cut off the part of my spreadsheet where I list my coupons. I will post them for you later. :)

Totals for the Week of 8/8 to 8/14

Between CVS and Publix we bought $259.46 worth of groceries. We paid (out of pocket) $27.96.

After MIRs we will have paid $10.49 net.

This weeks total savings is $307.96 (97.8%).

Below is what we will be giving to charity this week... Remember to share your wealth!

This Week's CVS Purchases - Money Back!

This week I bought:

2 Schick Hydro 3 Razors
2 Schick Hydro Shaving Creams
2 Nivea Shaving Creams
1 Dulcolax Balance (14 dose)
2 Arm & Hammer 14lb boxes of cat litter


I spent $10 even on all of the above and saved $54.73 (84.55%).

I am getting MIRs equal to $17.94, which means...

I EARNED $7.94 on my CVS shopping!

$1 off Any 1 Produce Item (Target Coupon)

This is a great coupon (especially if your Publix accepts Target as a competitor). I plan on using one to buy a cantaloupe (on sale for $2)... I have never bought one for $1 before. I'm excited. Click here. You'll have to scroll down through a few, but it's worth it. Enjoy!

Shopping Trip 8/05

The top picture is of our CVS shopping trip. As you can see, we bought 4 Sobe drinks and a bottle of Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap. Sobes were B1G1, and we had 2 B1G1 manufacturer coupons - Free drinks. The dish soap was on sale for $.97 and we had a manufacturer coupon for $1/1 any size. So... we got everything in the first picture for sales tax - $.30. The only other thing I can think of that nears that price is a gumball.

Picture number two is our Publix shopping trip:

8 bottles of Ragu (BOGO at $2.53), we had 4 Publix $1/2 Qs as well as 2 man. $1/2
6 bottles of Mott's Medleys Juice (BOGO at $2.99), we had 6 $1/1 Food Lion Qs
2 bottles of Vlasic pickles (BOGO at $2.89), we had 2 $.75/1 blinkies
1 bag of cat food (on sale for $2.99), we had a $1.50/1 man Q
2 Coffee Mate creamers ($2.50 ea.), we had 2 $.75/1 man Q
2 Progresso broths (BOGO at 2.59) - no Qs :(
4 packs of healthy harvest noodles (BOGO at $1.79) - 2 $1/2 man Qs
2.03 lbs of Georgia peaches (on sale for $.89/lb) $1.81
2 Nabisco variety packs (BOGO at $5.99), we had 2 $2.50/1 BJs Qs, and 1 $1/2 man Q (FREE!)
1 bottle of Publix cocoa butter $3.49, Publix coupon for a free one
1 bottle of Publix rubbing alcohol $1.49, Publix coupon for a free one
6 packs of BIC mechanical pencils (on sale 3/$3), we had 3 $1/2 Target coupons

This brought our total up to $52.42 before Qs

That same day Hubby Dear went to get the mail and came back elated to find a $5/50 Publix coupon in this week's mailer. (He also grabbed 4 other mailers that other people in our complex had thrown away, enthusiastically stating "It's like their throwing away $5 bills!" Ah... I am so proud.) Hubby Dear poured over the mailer to see if there was anything else "good" while I organized the coupons for our trip. Lo and behold, but he finds a World Market coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase. Well! Isn't that nice! We weren't sure if Publix accepts WM as a competitor, but fortune favors the bold and they took it. :)

After Qs we paid $6.94 plus $.67 in sales tax. Oh Beautiful Day!

At Publix we saved : $53.49 by shopping sales
$45.48 by using coupons
_______________________________
$98.97 Total Savings or Savings of 93.44%

Overall (both Publix and CVS) we got $113.24 worth of groceries for $6.94 plus tax.
Grand Savings Total - $106.30 or 93.87%

Our best week yet!

Grocery Planning 7.29

#	Item	Price Per	Price	$Qs	Total	Qs
8	Pop Tarts	$2.39	$9.56	$4.00	$5.56	4 $1/2 Man
2	NatureV Bars	$5.49	$5.49	$2.75	$2.74	1 $.75/2, 2 $1/1 T.
2	Hunts Ketchup	$1.75	$1.75	$2.00	-$0.25	1 $1/2 Man, 1 $1/2 F.L.
2	GoGurt	$2.79	$2.79	$2.00	$0.79	2 $1/1 Man
4	Old Orch. Juice	$1.50	$3.00	$1.00	$2.00	1 $1/4 Man
6	Playt. Tampons	$4.25	$12.75	$5.00	$7.75	4 $2.50/1 Man
1	Sabra Hummus		$2.50	$1.00	$1.50	1 $1/1 Man
1	Bleach		$1.50	$0.00	$1.50
1	Ammonia		$1.50	$0.00	$1.50
1	12 Eggs		$0.99	$0.00	$0.99
2	Tony's Pizzas	$1.00	$2.00	$1.00	$1.00	1 $1/2 Man
2	Lactaid Milk	$2.19	$4.38	$4.00	$0.38	2 $2/1 Man
2	Cascadian Farm Bars		$3.99	$4.00	-$0.01	2 $1/1 Man, 2 $1/1 W.F.
2	Power of Fruit Bars		$3.39	$2.00	$1.39	2 $1/1 Man
	Check out:
	Whole Chicken ($1.19/lb)
	Fruit
	Veggies
	Publix Coupon		1 $5/50	$5.00
	Save-a-Lot		2 $5/20	$10.00
			$55.59	$43.75	$11.84
Peelies to look for:		$2/1 Nature Valley Bars

Seventh Generation Coupons

You can find some wonderful savings here.

Shopping Trip 7/22

Another decent shopping week. Our total ended up at $22.88. We saved $40.25 by shopping sales and $36.80 by using coupons. That gives us a grand total of $100 worth of groceries and a savings rate of over 77%.


Some of our best buys were:

2 Lysol Cleaners - BOGO @ $2.69, we had 2 $1/1 Lysol trigger cleaners so we got both of them for $.69

2 Tombstone Pizzas - BOGO @ $5.79 - Used 2 $2/1 facebook coupons to get them for less than $.90 each.

2 Lactaid 1/4 Gallon Milk - $2.19 each - Used 2 $2/ any 1 Lactaid milk Blinkies that were right there which enabled us to by a half gallon of milk for $.38.

Smart Balance Milk - on sale for $2.50 - Used a $2/1 coupon to score a half gallon for $.50

1 Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce - $2.29 - Used a $2/1 coupon and got it for $.29.

4 Right Guard Deoderants - BOGO at $2.79 - Used 2 $2/2 coupons for a final price of less than $.40 each.

4 Crest Toothpastes - 10 for $10 - used 2 $.75/1 coupons, 2 $.50/1 coupons, and 2 Target coupons for $2/2 Crest products -- we ended up making $.5o!

Grocery Trip 7.15

Hubby and I just returned from our weekly Publix excursion. We did pretty well this week. We spent $25.85 and saved $63.95. So, we paid $25.85 for $89.80 worth of groceries. That gives us a savings rate of 71%.

I find it helpful to review my receipt after the trip to help make it clear in my mind what the best deals were and how we got them. We found that my best deal was the four packs of free razors I mentioned in an earlier post. A close second was the Finish dish detergent that is BOGO for $6.99. We had two $2.50/1 coupons, allowing us to purchase 2 boxes of detergent for $1.99. I would much rather pay $2 than $14!

The Bayer aspirin in the picture is on sale 3/$5. I had a $1/1 coupon and got the 30ct bottle for $.67... not too shabby.

All in all, we saved $36.76 by shopping sales and $25.50 in coupons. Those coupons can really add up, so keep clipping (and printing)!