tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29732420587184083582024-03-14T12:19:41.725-04:00Saving the Family Budget One Coupon at a TimeKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-46540849913009121532011-03-27T17:33:00.000-04:002011-03-27T17:33:13.219-04:00Great Video of a "Realistic" Look at CouponingAfter watching Extreme Couponing on TLC this a refreshing video and very funny video. Yes, I love the show. However, I realize that it does not give an accurate portrayal of my couponing experience. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/THwuMAk14IQ" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
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You can find her website at www.chachingonashoestring.com.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-73174762421078590742011-03-27T17:05:00.002-04:002011-03-27T17:05:59.581-04:00Where Has the Time Gone?Sorry to my 3 followers! I fell off the coupon wagon around the holidays in December and have been negligent in posting my most recent shopping trips. Fear not! I am back and going strong with my savings. Be on the lookout for updates soon!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-26754677790543218782010-08-16T23:00:00.000-04:002010-08-16T23:00:22.516-04:00Giant Eagle This Week - Coupon Matchups and Personal Summary<strong></strong><strong></strong>I was checking the blogs and going through my Giant Eagle ad to find the best deals this week. I have a difficult time finding a blogger that sufficiently covers Giant Eagle. I love<a href="http://www.dealseekingmom.com/"> Deal Seeking Mom</a> for Kroger and Meijer match ups but am not finding any sites that are frequently updated and accurate for Giant Eagle shopping in Columbus, OH. <b> If you find a site that you love, please share it with me.</b><br />
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I picked up Huggies this week. They are $19.99 per box but you also get $0.30 in Fuelperks when you buy two. I have some $3.00 coupons left but I can't find any of them anymore to share. You can get $2.00 off per box from <a href="http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13903&nid=10&zid=xh20">Coupons.com</a>.<br />
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2 boxes = $39.98<br />
$4.00 off = $35.98<br />
+ $0.30 in Fuelperks and the $35 counts toward your Fuelperks earnings<br />
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In order to maximize my savings, I had 2 orders at the check out this week. The first included the diapers and the total was $53.21 the second was only $3.89. The second is pretty amazing to me because for that $3.89 I was able to get: 4 cans of Tomato Soup, 3 Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese's, 2 bags of gummy lifesavers, 2 cucumbers and 1 box of Ronzoni pasta.<br />
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If you take the diapers out of the equation for the first order I spent $19.23 and here is what I purchased:<br />
3 bags Kraft Homestyle Mac and Cheese<br />
2 boxes Ronzoni pasta<br />
2 bags Lifesaver gummies<br />
2 jars Vlassic pickles<br />
1 bag Texas Toast croutons<br />
4 cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup<br />
6 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes<br />
2 Vanish drop ins<br />
1 box of Purex 3 in 1s<br />
1 bottle of Purex laundry detergent (32 loads)<br />
1 tube of Colgate toothpaste<br />
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<b>Kraft Mac & Cheese: </b> I was able to get a fantastic deal on the Mac & Cheese, it is a new product so that usually means sales combined with coupons. The <a href="http://ccherrypicker.blogspot.com/2010/08/giant-eagle-812-818.html">blog I checked</a> before heading to the store had these listed at $2.00 each. At my Giant Eagle they were $1.85 so combined with my $1 off coupons they were only $0.85 each! You can find the $1 off coupon in your Smart Source from 8/8 - I had 4 of them so was able to stock up on them. If you don't have the coupons from 8/8 you can also find the $1 off here: <a href="http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=vg&tqnm=zgmdecj32527057&o=64450&c=KR&p=tzc2V9NT%20%20">Kraft Homestyle Printable</a>. Remember this is a Bricks coupon so you can hit your browsers back button to print it twice.<br />
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<b>Hunt's Tomatoes: </b> The Hunt's tomatoes were $1 each. I used two $1 off 3 coupons from the 8/1 Smart Source insert. This made them $0.67 each. I like to stock up on items like this because I add it to my spaghetti and chili when I don't have enough vegetables from my CSA.<br />
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<b>Colgate Toothpaste: </b> Colgate is $1, you can use the $0.50 off coupon from the 7/25 Smart Source and once the coupon is doubled the toothpaste will be FREE!<br />
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<b>Lifesavers:</b> Bags of gummy Lifesavers are $1 this week. Print the $0.50 off coupons and score free Lifesavers once it is doubled. The coupon can be found here: <a href="http://see.walmart.com/smiles/">Lifesaves Printable</a>. The link will take you to a promo page for Wal-Mart, just scroll to the bottom of the page to Sweet Savings and click on<a href="http://see.walmart.com/smiles/"> Get Special Savings Now</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Pickles:</b> Some varieties of Vlassic pickles are $1.88 this week. Use this $0.55 off one printable and get pickles for $0.78 each. <a href="http://www.tastewhatavlasiccando.com/">Pickles Printable</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Soup:</b> Campbell's soup is on sale this week 2 for $1. I used a printable $0.50 off 2 coupon. When doubled this was $1 off 2 so the soup was FREE! <a href="http://www.campbellskitchen.com/coupon.aspx">Campbell's Soup Printable</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is my first time posting match ups, I hope you find them useful and all the links work for you. I appreciate any feedback - positive or negative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-51466485762902666582010-08-14T22:30:00.000-04:002010-08-14T22:30:53.157-04:00Save $0.75 on Coffee-Mate CreamerUse this link to save $0.75 on <a href="http://www.coffee-mate.com/offers/64580/Detail.aspx?source=10087111">Coffee-Mate</a> creamer. When there is a sale, you can usually pick this up for free or less than $0.50.<br />
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They have a new Honey Vanilla Creme flavor that I might try with this coupon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ze0bnl3lpMVosUqqQzcmwHvoMwb4eIlp9vRIna5KMfVH3WtD_u-HMRbH4MoIItVydQTzh6i8JwOQ15HIP98XeJfN6p-0NL_EtuSisv6PyglEkHAclhCEizUE6VLYTP23PIuYmJKOqKcj/s1600/CM_HoneyVanilla.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ze0bnl3lpMVosUqqQzcmwHvoMwb4eIlp9vRIna5KMfVH3WtD_u-HMRbH4MoIItVydQTzh6i8JwOQ15HIP98XeJfN6p-0NL_EtuSisv6PyglEkHAclhCEizUE6VLYTP23PIuYmJKOqKcj/s320/CM_HoneyVanilla.gif" /></a></div>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-56383862974179389012010-08-14T21:29:00.000-04:002010-08-14T21:29:48.370-04:00Meijer Savings Week of 8/8 - Had to Do Some Math on this OneThis week taking my husband and kids to Meijer with me may have been a bit of a mistake. I have had them join me on my couponing adventures before but there must have been something in the air that made us spend money and my kids crazy.<br />
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In order to reflect the actual money spent on what what I typically buy, I had to subtract the additional items from my bill. I left the unplanned food items on as that is a realistic view of what can happen at the store when impulse food is purchased. I ended up subtracting $108.38 from my total amount spent as we ended up buying some planned and unplanned home goods items. <br />
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What we bought for $108.38: 1 bulb for my tail light, 1 gal jug for hubby's iced tea, 2 storage ottomans, 5 plastic totes, 1 pair of silicone tongs, 2 honey/sugar bottles, 2 insulated soup jars, and 3 Kitchen Aid knives.<br />
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My total bill for Meijer was $129.24, when I subtract the $108.38 I only spent $20.86 on my food and household items this week. <br />
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Items Purchased:<br />
1 small can potato sticks (Evan was starving)<br />
1 bag of Entenmanns donuts (hubby snuck these in)<br />
1 small bag M&Ms<br />
1 Milky Way bar<br />
5 cans Campbell's Healthy Request Soup<br />
4 jars Ragu pasta sauce<br />
2 1/2 gallons Smart Balance milk<br />
1 1/2 gallon Rice milk<br />
2 jars Skippy Natural peanut butter<br />
1 pack popsicles<br />
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The items I planned on purchasing cost $17.83 before coupons, my total coupon savings was $16.44 which means the planned items only cost $1.39 out of pocket. I planned on buying the soup, pasta sauce, smart balance milk and peanut butter. <br />
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The remaining items were impulse buys these impulse buys cost $19.47. This is how most people shop and how I used to shop. I had a vague idea of what I needed, I may have even had a list but I didn't shop the sales or with my coupons. This meant I had lots of impulse buys and not very much to show for it. I typically ended up spending $150-$200 in one store per week and most of the items went bad because I didn't use them. Not only am I more dedicated to stretching my budget through smart shopping and stockpiling, my husband and I are more dedicated to eating what we have at home. <br />
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It can be a challenge, we both noticed we have had fast food more times over the past week than we are comfortable with. He started a new job and my work has been very busy so it has made us lazy in our eating habits. We both agreed that we need to get back on track this week. The food usually tastes better and is better for you when it comes from home.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-79666756435958637782010-08-14T20:45:00.001-04:002010-08-14T20:45:42.028-04:00Kroger Savings Week of 8/8 - This Might be My Best Trip Yet!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgz5rtC59HperHUlCArVfNGceZ7_YPubK8BR_Kh0C8LuXj8LOpaUKcHDNnszw_bVl8VrRI6gzfCRPwLWdGwZrLXJSg7kzZ7eo6EzlwgnRtvxNtpwswPBOn0tuD8UovRL7BFLVtxqNqwtk/s1600/cart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVgz5rtC59HperHUlCArVfNGceZ7_YPubK8BR_Kh0C8LuXj8LOpaUKcHDNnszw_bVl8VrRI6gzfCRPwLWdGwZrLXJSg7kzZ7eo6EzlwgnRtvxNtpwswPBOn0tuD8UovRL7BFLVtxqNqwtk/s320/cart.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cart when leaving the store today</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>My trip to Kroger this week amazed me. I was able to take advantage of double coupons, B1G1 free Sobe coupons and the $4 off Mega Event. The Mega Event took $4 off your order for every 8 specified items purchased. I ended up with $12 off just from this. The best deal was probably the Sobe water, they were regularly $1.19 per bottle. With the Mega Event, the bottles were $0.69 each when you purchased 8. When using the B1G1 coupons the cashier puts in the listed price for the item which was $1.19. This means I was able to get the Sobe water for less than $0.10 each! It is on sale again this week, so get your coupons and stock up while you can.<br />
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I get the coupons from: <a href="http://www.sobe.com/">B1G1 Sobe Link</a>. You have to play the unscrew the cap game, I always receive the coupon it is a Bricks coupon which means you can print it twice, just use your browsers back button after the first time printing. You can get the coupon once a day, I usually make my trip to Kroger on Saturday morning which means I can get 14 of these coupons throughout the week if I remember to log on each day to play.<br />
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Spent: $20.23<br />
Saved: $76.31<br />
Earned: $3 on my next order<br />
When I initially saw my total of $96.00 I thought there was no way I would be able to get out of the store for less than $50. Once my Kroger Plus card kicked in and my coupons were scanned, I was very happy to see the savings.<br />
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Items Purchased:<br />
3 boxes CoCo Puffs cereal<br />
4 jugs of Sunny D<br />
2 boxes Hefty Gallon storage bags<br />
2 boxes Hefty Quart storage bags<br />
16 bottles Sobe Lifewater<br />
4 bags Quaker True Delight rice cakes<br />
8 cans Progresso Soup (this earned my $3 OYNO as well as $4 of Mega Event savings)<br />
2 jars Welch's jam<br />
1 container Oscar Meyer Deli Lunchmeat<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPn6aIFZO3LdIqRS0sxeU3WHKwWpyeL5zriw1uy_wShmsCvE52jUxQghkWL2S1-13o0eJDlSSS3DNQJ9_wyzednzJLuQKIP4sbDKdRW0S-RaEdckt3t_rL6p-QHepU0B7VxakboJ0S5t8/s1600/receipt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPn6aIFZO3LdIqRS0sxeU3WHKwWpyeL5zriw1uy_wShmsCvE52jUxQghkWL2S1-13o0eJDlSSS3DNQJ9_wyzednzJLuQKIP4sbDKdRW0S-RaEdckt3t_rL6p-QHepU0B7VxakboJ0S5t8/s320/receipt.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My receipt - the scanned coupons are almost as long as the items purchased</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-17392557962953950162010-08-14T20:19:00.000-04:002010-08-14T20:19:26.707-04:00CVS Savings Week of 8/8This week at CVS ended up breaking my order into two transactions. I decided that since I have stopped nursing, I would like to go back on Alli. CVS had the refill kit (120 pills) for $49.99. I ended up paying $37.29 after using my coupons. I used a $5 off $25, and the $11 ECBs I earned last week. Now to the real CVS shopping which took place on my second order.<br />
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Spent: $12.44<br />
Saved: $27.75<br />
Earned: $7 ECBs<br />
Used: $5 off $25<br />
Items Purchased:<br />
4 2-liters of Diet Coke<br />
2 packs of Huggies wipes (216 wipes in each)<br />
1 Schick Hydro 5 razor<br />
1 Schick shave gel<br />
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The wipes were $6 each and if you spent $10 in Huggies products you received $3.00 ECBs. I also had coupons for $2.00 off each so I spent $8.00 out of pocket but received $3 back. This made the wipes $2.50 each.<br />
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The razor was another ECB special, with the purchase of 1 you received $4.00 in ECBs. The razor was $8.97 but I also had a $5 off coupon. This made the razor $3.97 out of pocket and then I received $4 for next time. I was also lucky enough to grab a razor with a tear off coupon that gave me a free shave gel with the purchase of the razor. I was able to pick this up for free, it had originally be $4.29.<br />
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Diet Coke was not a planned item for me, however I received a $1 of 2 from the Extra Care machine. Coke was on sale 2 for 3 and I found a bottle that had a coupon for a free 2 liter when you purchase 3. I grabbed 4 and ended up getting all 4 for $3.50 or $0.88 each.<br />
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I decided to go ahead with my Walgreens ban and it made my shopping this week much less stressful. IKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-83741178174576337472010-08-11T23:23:00.001-04:002010-08-14T08:44:18.875-04:00Just Finished Sorting Coupons - Here's a Sneak Peek at What I am Buying This WeekI have made the decision to ban Walgreens from my weekly shopping trips. They had some great deals but have just become to restrictive and accusatory with their coupons policy that I am going to save myself the hassle and focus my couponing and spending my money elsewhere.<br />
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This week I plan on shopping at CVS, Kroger, Meijer, and Target. Kroger is my most extensive shopping trip of the week. The deals are pretty light in some of the stores. I do need to get out and find school supplies. <br />
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At Kroger this week I have the following items on my list: Sobe water, Progresso Soup, Welch's jelly, Ziploc bags, Sunny D, Quaker rice cakes, Gardettos snacks, and CoCo Puffs.<br />
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I am only getting All detergent, a Schick razor and Huggies wipes at CVS this week. I don't think the Vitamin Water is 10 for $10 again, if it is and I can repeat the ECB deal I will likely pick more up.<br />
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Meijer has a fantastic deal on Smart Balance milk this week. I have never purchased this before but I don't think my family will notice the difference and with coupons the 1/2 gallons are free so there better not be any complaining! I will be picking up 2 1/2 gallons of milk, Campbell's Healthy Request (also free), Campbell's tomato soup (Liam's go to for lunch), Lipton tea, Ragu spaghetti sauce, Revlon products, and Skippy peanut butter.<br />
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Lastly, I will be stopping at Target to pick up just a few items. My hubby needs a 1 gallon cooler/jug for iced tea at work so I will be picking one of those up - without a coupon!! Oh the shame! It isn't that bad since I should be getting the other two items for free and like to purchase something for possible overage and less suspicion of thievery. I will be picking up Scotch Tape, the rolls are advertised at $0.50 each and I have coupons for $1.50 off of 3 so they should be free. I bought tape the other week and kept thinking, why am I getting this? I then realized if it is cheap now is the time to stock up for the upcoming holiday season and with 3 kids we have lots of Christmas wrapping along with other gifting events throughout the year. I am also going to pick up Post It Notes. They are supposed to be $1 and I have coupons for $1 off so that should make them free!<br />
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Here is the $1 off 1 Post it Notes coupon <a href="http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/promos/201007_ss/supersticky_coupon.pdf">$1/1 Post it Note</a> and here is the Scotch tape $1.50 off 3 coupon <a href="http://www.3m.com/brands/scotch/promos/welcomecoupon.pdf">$1.50/3 Scotch Tape</a>. Both of these are pdf documents so there shouldn't be a limit on how many you can print.<br />
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Happy Shopping!<br />
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<i><u style="color: magenta;"><b>UPDATE:</b></u> </i> I went to Target yesterday and was unable to find $1 super sticky post it notes or the $0.50 scotch tape. I did end up getting Crystal Light drink packets for free - they were $1.97 each and I had 3 $2 off coupons. Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-62440941161127896772010-08-11T23:08:00.000-04:002010-08-11T23:08:01.174-04:00Giant Eagle Savings This WeekThe Giant Eagle ads running Thursday to Wednesday always mess up my postings because I never know which week of savings to categorize them in. I do like that I don't feel obligated to hit Giant Eagle in my usual Saturday shopping trip as I can easily go there during lunch one day and pick up what I need when they aren't as busy.<br />
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This week I was able to score some decent deals on yogurt, applesauce and trash bags. <br />
Here is the breakdown:<br />
<b>Giant Eagle</b><br />
<i>Spent: $12.28</i><br />
<i>Saved: $19.41</i><br />
<i>Earned: $0.20 fuelperks</i><br />
Items Purchased:<br />
2 boxes Hefty garbage bags<br />
2 packs Musselmanns applesauce<br />
1 Danimal crush cups 4 pack<br />
1 Danimal 6 pack smoothies<br />
2 4 packs YoCrunch 100 calorie (so yummy)<br />
1 pack Breyers kids yogurt<br />
1 pack Dannon kids yogurt<br />
1 fresh salad from the salad bar ($1.48)Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-8565098809178133102010-08-08T16:45:00.000-04:002010-08-08T16:45:00.150-04:00Coupon Savings Week of 8/1 - My Second Week Back in the GameThis week can be easily summed up as cereal week for me. I was able to get some great deals on cereal and replenish our supply that has diminished since March. I ended up with 19 boxes of cereal! To some of you this may seem excessive, however my family goes through cereal rather quickly. The boys usually have it for breakfast and a before bed snack (sometimes I join them). Daphne loves trying out her new teeth by eating dry cereal. <br />
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This week again reminded me how much I enjoy couponing and being able to save my family money. Our basement storage area is getting so full that we will need to add another set of shelves. I realize how fortunate we are to need more space for food storage, there are families out there that can barely get anything to eat. The food pantry at our church needed donations. It felt wonderful to be able to go into my basement and fill bags of food and personal items to donate. I am trying to be very mindful of when the amount of an item is getting out of control and then donate some of what I have purchased. Most of the items I donate were free or less than $1 so it is very little out of pocket for me but can make a huge difference for someone else.<br />
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This month I mostly donated meal kits, cereal, pasta, and deodorant. When I first started couponing I was able to get at least 20 bars of deodorant in the first few weeks. There is no way we would use all of that. I also accumulated a nice stockpile of cereal and pasta. All of the pasta was free and the cereal was fairly inexpensive. After shopping this week the storage area is looking full and in a few weeks will be ready for another round of donations. I am going to try to donate to the food pantry once a month.<br />
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Liam and Evan love to help me bring all my purchases down to the basement for storage. Liam is old enough now that he can go down to the "store" and pick what he wants. He always goes down and asks if anyone else wants something.<br />
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The only difficult part of having such a great supply of food is that I seem to be the only one that knows what is down there. I think if everyone in the family knew what we had, we would be enjoying the fruits of my labor much more. <b>Anyone have tips for how to spread the word</b>?<br />
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I made it to Meijer, Walgreens, Kroger, CVS and Target this week. Giant Eagle always throws me off since their ads run Thursday to Wednesday. It did make it nice since I didn't have to stop by there yesterday. I can easily run to Giant Eagle during lunch next week to pick up the few things that I need.<br />
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This week I spent $126.93 on all of our home, grocery and personal care needs. I saved $204.20. Summaries, spending breakdown by store, and what I purchased can by found below in my earlier posts.<br />
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</b>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-50748639400454782402010-08-08T16:30:00.000-04:002010-08-08T16:30:02.679-04:00Kroger Week of 8/1 - A sale combined with coupon match ups = great deals!<b>Kroger:</b><br />
<i>Spent: $36.05</i><br />
<i>Saved: $82.60</i><br />
Purchased:<br />
2 bottles of All Free & Clear detergent<br />
1 box Nature Valley Granola bars<br />
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch<br />
3 boxes Cherrios<br />
4 boxes Fiber One bars<br />
1 box CoCo Puffs<br />
1 box Quaker Oat Squares cereal<br />
1 box Life cereal<br />
1 box Crunch Berries<br />
1 bottle Tide detergent<br />
2 boxes Quaker instant oatmeal<br />
1 pack fresh strawberries<br />
3 Cover Girl eye shadows<br />
4 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks<br />
2 boxes Golden Grahams snack bars<br />
1 bag Nature Valley granola<br />
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Kroger had two deals running this weekend. They are continuing with the P&G $4.00 off if you by 4 of the listed items. I bought the Tide detergent and 3 eye shadows to qualify for the extra $4.00. The Tide was originally $10.99 the P&G deal made the price $8.99. I had a $1 coupon and a Cellfire coupon that gave me an additional $3.00 off. This made the bottle of Tide $5.99. <br />
<br />
I keep getting an offer on the bottom of my receipt to sign up for the Rewards Mastercard. If you apply and are approved you get a $25 Kroger gift card. I am not really interested in using the card as we don't do that anymore, but would like the $25. <b>What are your thoughts on doing this?</b>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-45548026015925915192010-08-08T16:07:00.000-04:002010-08-08T16:07:02.855-04:00Meijer Week of 8/1 - How did I spend $50 out of pocket?!<b>Meijer:</b><br />
<i>Spent: $57.55</i><br />
<i>Saved: $46.55</i><br />
Purchased:<br />
2 boxes of Huggies diapers ($19.77 each!)<br />
2 tubs of Huggies wipes<br />
1 1/2 gallon of Silk Vanilla Soymilk<br />
10 bottles of Sobe lifewater<br />
4 boxes of Post Raisin Bran<br />
4 boxes of Cinnabon cereal<br />
2 gallons milk<br />
1 bottle of Soy cooking oil<br />
1 box of Glad garbage bags<br />
<br />
WOW! My trip to Meijer was expensive this week. Usually with a bill over $50, I am going to have a receipt that is as tall as me and a cart full of groceries. I kept looking at the total and then looking in the cart, until I realized the death of any mom's budget is the dreaded diaper! They are so expensive, I use coupons whenever I can but with 2 kids in diapers there isn't much I can do. <br />
<br />
Daphne wears Gro Baby Diapers<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=cougirsav-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002VUCADW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> on the weekends and whenever I am home so that helps a little. I am also not a snob about which brand of diapers I use. In the past I purchased the store brands on occasion and didn't really have issues with them. I have found that I don't really like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Luvs-Premium-Stretch-Diapers-22-37/dp/B0012MC87S?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Luvs</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0012MC87S" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> because they aren't very absorbent. Using coupons and sales, I have been pretty good with getting Jumbos packs of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huggies-Snug-Diapers-Giant-140-Count/dp/B002VPE530?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Huggies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002VPE530" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pampers-Cruisers-Diapers-Economy-22-37/dp/B00347AFH4?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pampers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00347AFH4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> for around $4-$7 a pack. This week at Meijer if you purchased a box of Huggies diapers you received a free pack of wipes. I had $3off Huggies diapers and with my coupons I got $1.00 off the wipes. This made the price for two boxes of diapers and two tubs of wipes $31.54.<br />
<br />
When I subtract the $31.54 for diapers and wipes the bill from Meijer seems a bit more reasonable for what I purchased. The 8 boxes of cereal, milk, etc...only cost me $26.01.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-17691114851515823582010-08-08T08:41:00.000-04:002010-08-08T08:41:52.454-04:00Target Savings Week of 8/1 - Lots of freebies!<b>Target</b><br />
<i>Spent: $5.66</i><br />
<i>Saved: $20.52</i><br />
Items Purchased:<br />
1 fashion scarf ($1.98)<br />
1 pair of shorts for Daphne ($1.98)<br />
2 Lunchables<br />
4 Clean & Clear face wash (trial size)<br />
2 Reach Floss<br />
6 Johnson & Johnson To-Go First Aid kits<br />
4 packs of Bic pens (10 per pack)<br />
2 packs of Papermate pens (10 per pack)<br />
<br />
The big question on this trip is what items did I actually pay for? I paid for the scarf, shorts, and lunchables. Everything else was FREE!<br />
<br />
The Lunchables were $1.25 each and I had $0.50 off so they were $0.75 each. <br />
<br />
I had $1.00 off coupons for Clean & Clear and for Floss. The trial size Clean & Clear was $0.99 each and the floss was $0.97 each. It took a little convincing to get the cashier to accept the Clean & Clear coupons but once she and another cashier read them they saw that it did not specify a size and did not exclude trial sizes.<br />
<br />
The first aid kits were also in the trial size section of the store. They are $0.99 each. I had coupons for $3.00 off 3. Which meant 6 kits for free!<br />
<br />
The pens were also free after a combination of coupons. Target had the Papermate pens for $0.50 a pack and there was a Target coupon for $0.50 off any Papermate product. The Bic pens were $0.99 each. I had a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off two packs, plus a Target coupon for $1.00 off two packs. You can stack a manufacturer coupon with a Target coupon. This meant I had $2.00 in coupons for two packs of pens. The pens were $0.99 each which means they were free!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-9569814002374977422010-08-08T08:18:00.000-04:002010-08-08T08:18:00.883-04:00CVS Week of 8/1 - Found a few surprises!<b>CVS</b><br />
<i>Spent: $15.82</i><br />
<i>Saved: $18.40</i><br />
Earned: $11 ECBs<br />
Received: coupon for $5 off $25 or more and offer for $4 off $20 for updating my email addres<br />
Items Purchased:<br />
10 bottles of Vitamin Water Zero<br />
2 Thermacare Back wraps<br />
3 packs Dentyne Gum<br />
<br />
I went to CVS planning to buy just the back wraps because I need them but don't like to purchase them because they are so expensive. This week they were 2 for $12.98 + you received $5 in ECBs. I had one $3 off coupon, in hindsight I should have printed a second coupon to save even more but it slipped my mind.<br />
<br />
As I was going through my coupons before shopping I found 2 $1.00 off Dentyne gum that were expiring on 8/7. I figured I could use those to get a pretty good deal on gum. Since CVS was my first stop, I checked the prices there first. I bought on pack of Dentyne Pure for $1.29. With my coupon it was only $0.29. Dentyne had the other gum B1G1 free so I was able to get a 2 pack for $0.29 with my coupon. This is only $0.15 per pack!<br />
<br />
The surprise for me this week was Vitamin Water being 10 for $10. I usually wouldn't pay $1 for a bottle of water but if you bought 10 you received $5 ECBs. Jason and I both like the water so I know we will drink it and at $0.50 per bottle it is easier for me to buy them.<br />
<br />
Lastly, I received the $1 ECB for using my Green Bag Tag. If you shop at CVS and aren't using this, you are missing out. You purchase the tag and have it scanned every time you make a purchase, including picking up prescriptions in the drive through. For every 4 scans you receive $1 ECB.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-48666729323306579262010-08-08T08:01:00.001-04:002010-08-08T08:04:01.025-04:00Walgreens Week of 8/1 - Is it time for Walgreens to go?<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Walgreens</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Spent: $11.85</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Saved: $36.13</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Items Purchased:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4 Stage 2 Gerber baby foods</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buy-Candy-Wholesale-Chocolate-Caramel/dp/B000NMDVUQ?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Rolos</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000NMDVUQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 Walgreens Baby vapor bath</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3 Hershey's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Avenue-Candy-2-Ounce-Bars-Pack/dp/B000IXUJRI?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">5th Avenue</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000IXUJRI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> Bars</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2 packs <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pull-Ups-Goodnites-Underpants-Training-Medium/dp/B000669F4A?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Overnight Pull-Ups</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000669F4A" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3 packs <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huggies-Natural-Scented-72-Count-8-Pack/dp/B001N44B0M?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Huggies wipes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001N44B0M" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (72 wipes per container)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am on the verge of nixing Walgreens from my weekly shopping. This is the second time my printed coupons have been called into question and I have had to explain them to the cashier and manager. They keep telling me that their own store policy says they can't accept the internet coupons. It is too much hassle to get them to take them and they make me feel like a criminal when I try to use them. I might try another Walgreens next week to see if I get better service. If not, I won't be shopping there anymore. <b> Is anyone else having issues at their local Walgreens?</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I was very lucky at Walgreens this week and wish I would have stopped in before other shoppers raided the baby isle. There were many items significantly marked down as they are clearing out some of the products. I was able to get the Baby vapor bath for $0.82 and the Pull-Ups were only $3.19 per pack, marked down from $8.99 each. I also had coupons for $1.50 off each Pull-Up so I was able to get those for $1.69 each. The baby food was also on sale for $0.42 per two pack. I didn't have any coupons and Daphne is enjoying chunkier food but I plan on mixing what I purchased with cereal and using my food processor to add rice or noodles.</div>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-8418019663187254282010-08-07T21:24:00.000-04:002010-08-07T21:24:02.738-04:00Savings Week of July 26thLast week was my first week back to coupon shopping. My family was able to eat fairly well on what we had from my last bout with couponing that I just didn't feel the drive to get into it over the past month or so. My hiatus is over and I'M BACK! <br />
<br />
I forgot how much I enjoyed the thrill of getting items for free and seeing a $100 total go down to $40.<br />
<br />
I can't find my Kroger receipt from last week but I know the total paid was $40 and the initial bill was $100. If I can locate the receipt I will post my Kroger savings then.<br />
<br />
Last week I went to Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens, and Target. I skipped CVS because there wasn't anything there that I really needed.<br />
<br />
I had a little trouble at Walgreens with the cashier and my printed coupons. They said that their policy was to no longer accept them because they have been getting lots of forged ones. I assured them that I printed them at home none of them were forged. They finally accepted them, but I may stop shopping at Walgreens if this continues to be an issue.<br />
<br />
Between Meijer, Walgreens and Target I saved $133.57. I spent $77.22. We purchased a few impulse items at Target that took our total up higher than I would have liked. With the $40 spent at Kroger I spent $117.22. When the Kroger savings of $60 is included, I saved $193.57.<br />
<br />
It seems that spending $117 on groceries isn't much of a savings. My purchases included household items, diapers, laundry detergent, a board game, socks, formula, and groceries. In the past I would easily spend $150-$200 a week on groceries alone. When the other products are added in, I could have spent $250-$300. <br />
<br />
Even though I am saving money, I would like to eventually get my weekly spending down to $40-$80 per week. It will be difficult while I still have two little ones in diapers and one on formula.<br />
<br />
Here is a breakdown of money spent and saved at each store. I have also included what I was able to get for the money spent.<br />
<br />
<b>Meijer:</b><br />
<i>Spent: $28.28</i><br />
<i>Saved: $92.21</i><br />
Items Purchased:<br />
2 Rolos<br />
3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups<br />
1 Reese's Whipped<br />
1 Pack of buns<br />
1 4-pack Yo-Plus yogurt<br />
1 4-pack Fiber One yogurt<br />
8 boxes of GoGurt<br />
4 bags of Chex Mix<br />
1 loaf of bread<br />
2 7 packs of boy's socks<br />
1 6 pack of men's socks<br />
2 packs of tortillas<br />
6 Smart Ones Frozen meals<br />
2 packs of bologna<br />
4 boxes Totino's Pizza Rolls<br />
4 boxes Kellogg's Fiber Plus cereal<br />
2 bags Dole lettuce<br />
3 pepperoni pizzas<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Walgreens:</b><br />
<b></b><i>Spent: $4.09</i><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>Saved: $17.39</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i></i>Items Purchased:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2 2-packs of 3M Command wall hooks</div><br />
2 rolls of 3M Scotch tape<br />
3 mini composition books<br />
3 cans Hunt's tomato sauce<br />
2 cans black olives<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Target:</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b></b><i>Spent: $44.85</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i></i><i>Saved: $25.97</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i></i>Items Purchased:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1 can Similac Advance - Powder ($20.99)</div><br />
1 game of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clue-2143-Secrets-and-Spies/dp/B001URY6LQ?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Clue Secrets & Spies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001URY6LQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> ($11.98)<br />
4 8-packs Juicy Juice<br />
4 Chef-Boyardee microwave meals<br />
4 Kid Cuisine frozen meals<br />
4 boxes Bagel Bites<br />
4 bottles Sobe LifewaterKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-56609645200360684562010-05-20T22:00:00.000-04:002010-05-20T22:00:34.255-04:00Coupon Savings Week of 5/16 - MeijerThis week was interesting for me at Meijer. My Sunday paper subscription had expired a few weeks ago and I have been so off the radar with couponing that I didn't even miss it! I am back on track and was going to call tomorrow to renew the subscription. As I was heading to the check out in Meijer today a representative from the Dispatch was signing up people for subscriptions for $9.90 a month (cheaper than what I had it for before) and he was giving $10 Meijer gift cards if you signed up. <br />
<br />
I didn't have coupons for everything I purchased this week. Tomato soup was on sale 2 for $1 so that made my purchase bearable but I know if I had coupons for it I would have gotten a better deal. Oh well, it is the only thing Liam wants to pack in his lunch so I picked up 8 cans.<br />
<br />
Check out summary:<br />
Total spent: $50.40<br />
Total savings: $65.07 (includes my $10 gift card)<br />
<br />
Order summary:<br />
8 cans Tomato soup<br />
2 gallons 2% milk<br />
2 Meijer little puffs<br />
10 Lean Cuisine<br />
2 boxes of Crystal Light single packs<br />
2 Kraft salad dressings<br />
2 bottles Bull's Eye BBQ sauce<br />
2 Del Monte fruit chillers<br />
1 pack of DanActive smoothies<br />
1 pack of Danimals smoothies<br />
1 bag Bird's Eye steam fresh veggies<br />
1 box of Super Pretzels<br />
1 pack of Sandwich Thins<br />
2 jumbo packs of Huggies<br />
4 12 packs of Diet Coke<br />
2 Nerds ropes (for the boys)Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-13650949663041692742010-05-20T21:49:00.000-04:002010-05-20T21:49:21.698-04:00Coupon Savings Week of 5/16 - CVSI had a horrible experience at CVS this week. It was so bad that I ended up calling the number on my receipt and completed the survey. The cashier was completely rude and snippy with me. I tried to take advantage of the B1G1 on Cover Girl lip gloss by using the CVS sale along with the B1G1 coupon to end up getting them for free. She wouldn't ring them up for me. She then took all of my coupons and organized them in some funky order before scanning. It ended up that my $4 off a $20 order was at the end, I specifically put the coupon first because I wasn't sure if after all my other coupons the order would still be over $20. It wasn't but she took the $4 off anyway. This was when she got really nasty with me. Once it got below $20, I told her that I gave her the coupons in a certain order so I could use my $4 off. She basically yelled at me and said she would go ahead and take it off.<br />
<br />
Check out summary:<br />
Total spent: $14.58<br />
Total savings: $17.00<br />
<br />
Order Summary:<br />
1 jumbo pack Huggies diaper jeans<br />
1 jumbo pack Pampers<br />
1 Listerine Smart Rinse<br />
<br />
I couldn't resist the diaper jeans. I think they are so stupid but CVS had sent me a $2 CVS coupon so I was able to stack that with the $3 Huggies coupon, so I figured what the hell might as well see what the fuss is about. <br />
<br />
I also had a $3 CVS coupon for the Pampers and I stacked that with a $1.50 off coupon so the diapers were pretty reasonable.<br />
<br />
I bought the Smart Rinse for $5.99 and used a $2 coupon I got from the dentist. Liam had some major tooth issues and he is almost out of his mouthwash so I couldn't wait for an advertised sale. I was able to find a bottle that included a free travel size so it wasn't too bad of a deal for $3.99.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-43310897134090046132010-05-20T21:33:00.000-04:002010-05-20T21:33:04.533-04:00Coupon Savings Week of 5/16 - KrogerI was able to stock up on juice and water at Kroger this week. My kids go through cycles where they will want juice all the time, to not really wanting it at all. We are at a juice all the time point in their drinking cycle so having this on hand for such a cheap price is great. I am dieting so I bought the Tropicana 50 juice which has less fat and calories, so if the kids don't drink it, I will.<br />
<br />
Checkout Summary:<br />
Total spent: $38.92<br />
Total savings: $49.42<br />
Earned: $5.00 toward next order<br />
<br />
Order Summary:<br />
10 Beechnut baby food jars<br />
4 24 packs of Nestle water<br />
1 2 liter of Diet Mt. Dew<br />
2 Jumbo packs of huggies<br />
2 packs Oscar Meyer light bologna<br />
1 bag Dole salad<br />
6 cartons Tropicana 50<br />
1 box Kelloggs Blueberry mini-wheats<br />
4 packs of blackberries<br />
1 cucumber<br />
1 bunch of green onions<br />
<br />
Kroger sometimes sends me special coupons, I was able to get the salad and 1 pack of bologna for free. I had a coupon for $1.00 off of two Oscar Meyer meats and they were on sale for $0.98 each so I ended up getting both for free. I got the mini-wheats for free because I emailed a complaint to Kelloggs when one of the boxes of their mini-wheats was seriously lacking in frosting. They sent me the coupon as a thank you for my feedback.<br />
<br />
Blackberries were $1 each, the cucumber was $0.55 and the green onions were $0.50. The baby food was 10 for $4.00. I didn't have coupons for any of these items but the prices were good and we will use them so I went ahead and picked them up.<br />
<br />
I had 6 coupons for $1.00 off of Tropicana 50 juice. It was on sale this week for $2.38, using the $1.00 off made each carton $1.38 which is a pretty good price for juice. <br />
<br />
The water was a pretty good deal. It was on sale for $3.34 a pack and I had coupons that were $1.00 off of 2 packs. There was also a Catalina deal which is how I got $5.00 toward my next order. That made the 4 packs of water $6.34 or $1.59 each. We usually don't buy bottled water but at those prices it is nice to have when we are on the go or when we have company.<br />
<br />
Diapers and baby products make it difficult to keep a really low grocery bill. I know some of the bargain hunters are able to get all of their products for less than $40 a week. I have certainly lowered my grocery bill by using coupons and stock piling but I don't think I am that low. <br />
<br />
I was able to get a good deal on diapers at Kroger this week. Huggies were on sale for $8.99 and I had 2 $3.00 coupons. This took the price for each pack to $5.99 which is a good price. Kroger was also running a promotion that gave you and instant $3.00 off your order if you purchase $15.00 in Huggies products. This made the diapers $4.49 a pack.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-19422484501478204482010-05-20T21:17:00.000-04:002010-05-20T21:17:13.165-04:00Coupon Girl ReturnsI'm back! I have been so busy since my husband left to work in Atlanta that I have barely even been grocery shopping. The prior weeks spent stocking up meant I was able to just pick up the necessities and not really anything else. It was nice, but I missed out on some good deals. There were a few times that I had to go to the store and buy items without coupons and I started to get twitchy. Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-32582630654353063802010-04-13T21:43:00.000-04:002010-04-13T21:43:29.158-04:00Meijer for Under $10I love having a nice stockpile of items because I don't feel bad when I can't make it to the store regularly. I was able to get some great deals at Meijer this week. They have another round of 10 for $10.<br />
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Spent: $9.65<br />
Total Savings: $42.33<br />
Items Purchased:<br />
1 bottle Sunny D<br />
4 Del Monte Fruit Chillers<br />
1 bottle Planters Dry Roast Peanuts<br />
1 Butter popcorn seasoning<br />
2 boxes of Crystal Light packets<br />
1 YoPlus Yogurt<br />
2 TGIFriday's frozen mozzarella sticks<br />
3 pouches Betty Crocker cookie mix<br />
2 packs Del Monte Mandarin Orange Fruit cups<br />
2 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes<br />
2 boxes Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta<br />
1 bag Quaker rice cakesKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-23115399444066386502010-03-29T21:11:00.001-04:002010-03-29T21:12:35.503-04:00CVS for Less than $1.00I went to CVS yesterday and made it out of the store paying $0.37 out of pocket and getting $2.00 in Extra Care Bucks. I wasn't supposed to get the $3.00 but they had a sign up that said $3 back for $10 spent in candy. I purchased enough candy but the ECB didn't print. Apparently the ECB deal had expired but since they still had the sign up they honored it and printed one for me.<br />
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<b>Order Summary:</b><br />
<b>Spent: $0.37</b><br />
<div style="color: red;"><b>Saved: $23.73</b></div><div style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Used: $11.99 in ECBs</b></div><div style="color: #38761d;"><b>Earned: $3.00 ECBs</b></div><b>Purchased:</b><br />
3 bags M&Ms<br />
2 bags Reese's eggs<br />
1 bag Hershey eggs<br />
2 bottles of Softsoap body wash<br />
<br />
The body wash was B1G1 and I had 2 $1.00 off coupons for each of them. The were priced at $4.99 each. One was free so it ended up being $2.99 for two or $1.50 each. The candy was on special for $2.00 a bag. I purchased $12 worth of candy and used $3.00 in coupons.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-31181311236793083042010-03-28T21:38:00.000-04:002010-03-28T21:38:54.159-04:00My Trip to Giant Eagle Felt Like StealingI didn't get anything from the Giant Eagle ad last week. Giant Eagle gets a little confusing to me because it is the only store that I go to with an ad that starts on Thursday instead of Sunday like the rest of them. Regardless, as I posted last week there just wasn't anything there that warranted a trip. This week, I was able to use the $18 I earned buying diapers. Using this and my coupons allowed me to walk out of Giant Eagle with bags full of food for only $11.04!! On top of that I earned $5.00 toward my next order.<br />
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<i><b>Order Summary</b></i><br />
<b>Spent: $11.04</b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Saved: $47.08</span></b><br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>$5 earned toward my next order</b></div><b><span style="color: #b45f06;">Used: $18 earned from my last trip</span></b><br />
<b>Purchased:</b><br />
1 box of Uncrustables<br />
10 boxes of Yoplait GoGurt<br />
5 boxes Kellogg's Chocolate Mini-Wheats Little Bites cereal<br />
2 packs of Vanity Fair napkins<br />
2 packs of Vanity Fair plates<br />
1 pack of Dixie plates<br />
1 pack of Dixie napkins<br />
3 boxes of Splenda (with fiber)<br />
1 French's mustard<br />
1 bag of frozen spinach<br />
<br />
You might think 10 boxes of GoGurt is excessive, but my kids eat the stuff like crazy. Evan loves them frozen and probably eats 2-6 of them a day. Jason said Evan was mad while I was at the store because we were out of GoGurts. Now our freezer and fridge are fully stocked. <br />
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I hadn't planned on purchasing more cereal unless the price was exceptionally low, however Jason tried a box of the Chocolate Little Bites last week and loved them. As I was going through the coupons in this weeks paper I saw that they had $2.00 off two boxes and $1.00 off one box. I had two sets of coupons (thanks Granny) so I used 2 $2.00 and 1 $1.00 at Giant Eagle where the cereal was 5 for $10. This made them $1 a box. Not as good as $0.50 per box I had a Target the other week, but Jason will be leaving for Atlanta again and I thought it would be nice for him to take his new favorite cereal with him. I am sure he knows I would DIE if he went to the grocery in Atlanta and spent the usual $3-$4 for a box of cereal. <br />
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The purchase of 3 boxes of Splenda is how I earned $5 toward my next order. Splenda was on sale 3 for $10 or $3.33 each, plus you earned $5 toward your next order if you purchased 3. I had $1.00 off coupons so I used 3 of them. This made the Splenda $2.33 a box or $6.99. After the $5 earned, I was able to purchase 3 boxes of Splenda for $1.99. <br />
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The spinach was on sale for $1.00, I had $0.50 off so it was free after the coupon was doubled. The napkins and plates were on sale 2 for $4. We only use paper plates for parties, but I usually end up running to the store a few days before the party and spending full price for them. With a little advance planning, I was able to purchase them for $1.00 a pack since I had $0.50 off coupons for the Vanity Fair plates and napkins. I saved even more on the Dixie plates and napkins since my coupon for both of those was $0.55 and it was doubled to $1.10. <br />
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GoGurt was 3 for $6 or $2 each. I had two different kinds of coupons. There were 4 $1.10 off of Simply GoGurt and 6 $0.40 off of one GoGurt. I wasn't sure if Simply GoGurt was included in the sale, thankfully it was. I used my 4 $1.10 coupons so those 4 packs were $0.90 each. The 6 $0.40 were doubled so I got $0.80 off each pack which made them $1.20 each. <br />
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To add to my savings I now have $0.80 off per gallon of gas at Get Go. Fuel perks are earned more slowly when I use my coupons because it take me a lot longer to spend $50 when I only spend $10-$20 a week in groceries at Giant Eagle. I still take advantage of the gift cards they offer and am sure to purchase them there whenever I need them. Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-62985751624806741422010-03-27T21:48:00.000-04:002010-03-27T21:48:47.952-04:00Coupon Savings Week of 3/21 - CVSI was able to make it to CVS today since my Granny came over to watch the kids while their swing set was being constructed in the back yard. I only had a few things on my list, but wanted to make sure I picked them up before the sale and ECBs on these items ended. <br />
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I had to get one unplanned item and that was children's cold medicine. Evan has been sick for days and I was running low on Triaminic. Thankfully, I had a $1.50 off coupon and CVS had an instant coupon of $2.00. Still the medicine cost me $8.50! I will be sure to keep my eyes out for good stock up prices on medicine for the kids so I don't have to pay retail when they get sick.<br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>Order Summary:</b></i><br />
<b style="color: black;">Spent: $23.56</b><br />
<b style="color: red;">Saved: $25.94</b><br />
<div style="color: #38761d;"><b>ECBs earned: $11.99</b></div><b>Purchased:</b><br />
2 Jumbo packs <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pampers-Cruisers-Size-Jumbo-Pack/dp/B000Y1A0TG?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pampers Cruisers Size 4</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000Y1A0TG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
1 bottle<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Handy-Solutions-Health-Mouthwash-Packages/dp/B001HX3AI8?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"> Crest Pro-Health mouthwash</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001HX3AI8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
1 tube <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Colgate-Total-Multi-Protection-Toothpaste-Whitening/dp/B001ET73J2?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Colgate toothpaste</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001ET73J2" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
1 bottle <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Triaminic-Relief-Liquid-Cherry-Flavor/dp/B000WOSF88?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Triaminic day time</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000WOSF88" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
1 bottle <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Triaminic-Night-Relief-Liquid-Flavor/dp/B000WOOGEU?ie=UTF8&tag=cougirsav-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Triaminic night time</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cougirsav-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000WOOGEU" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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The diapers were on sale for $8.97 a pack and I earned $3.00 ECBs on the purchase of each pack. I also had a $2.00 off coupon. This made the diapers $3.97 a pack after coupons and ECBs. <br />
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The mouthwash was on sale for $3.99, I had a $2.00 off coupon and received $2.00 ECBs. This means I made $0.01 on the purchase of the mouthwash.<br />
<br />
The Colgate was $3.99, I had a $1.00 off coupon and received $3.99 ECBs. This means I made $1.00 on the purchase of the toothpaste. <br />
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I made sure to scan my bag tag so I am now only 2 scans away from $1.00 of Extra Care Bucks. For those that don't know. If you purchase a bag tag at CVS and have it scanned each time you make a purchase, even when picking up prescriptions, you will earn $1.00 every 4 times you have the bag scanned. I keep my bag tag with my Extra Care card so I don't forget to have it scanned.Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2973242058718408358.post-68703280613207325802010-03-27T21:33:00.000-04:002010-03-27T21:33:58.452-04:00Kroger TRIPLE Coupons!This week Kroger had triple coupons which means that any coupon $0.50 or under will be tripled. I had my short list for Kroger but decided to take a little longer for shopping this week to make sure I maximized the triple coupon savings. As I sorted through my coupons for those that were expired, I pulled out the ones that were $0.50 or less. I had the organized by type when I went to the store and basically went down each isle looking at the coupons and item prices. I was able to snag a few more deals that had I stuck to my original list. However, the savings with triple coupons on most items was not as great as I had anticipated. Maybe they know what coupons are out there so they don't offer sales on many of the items that a coupon would apply to.<br />
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I had three orders this week. I made a mistake and put my Grands on separate orders, had I put them on the same order I would have earned $2 toward my next order. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. There wasn't really and logic to putting them on separate orders, just didn't think it through.<br />
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<i><b>Order Summary:</b></i><br />
<b>Spent: $39.01</b><br />
<div style="color: red;"><b>Saved: $115.73</b></div><b>Purchased:</b><br />
7 2 liters of Diet Coke<br />
2 bottles Lysol all purpose cleaner<br />
2 spray bottles Lysol bathroom cleaner<br />
2 bottles Lysol toilet bowl cleaner<br />
2 spray bottle Lysol antibacterial kitchen cleaner<br />
1 bottle Sun laundry detergent<br />
4 Pillsbury Grands biscuits<br />
1 pack Arm & Hammer dryer sheets<br />
2 Suave kids body wash<br />
2 5 lb bags Gold Medal flour<br />
2 cans Carnation evaporated milk<br />
4 3 packs of Irish Spring<br />
3 Secret deodorants<br />
6 Betty Crocker warm delights<br />
1 Oscar Meyer lunchable<br />
1 French's Worchestershire Sauce<br />
1 box Hefty kids cups<br />
1 Betty Crocker frosting<br />
3 Listerine pocket strips<br />
1 Progresso light soup<br />
2 Campbell's condensed soups<br />
3 boxes 90 calorie Fiber One bars<br />
3 boxes Chex Mix turtle bars<br />
1 bottle Softsoap liquid<br />
2 bottles Suave lotion<br />
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I also received a coupon for a free 2 liter of diet Mountain Dew. I will be sure to pick this up when I go Krogering next week!Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18369030277825420137noreply@blogger.com0