Coupon Savings Week of 3/14 - Walgreens

Order Quick View: 
Spent:  $31.14

Total Savings: $63.89

Earned: $30 in Register Rewards

Purchased:
3 tubes Colgate toothpaste
3 Sudafed cold medicine
1 Sudafed nasal spray
2 Tylenol cold
6 padded mailers
2 5 lb. bags Gold Medal flour
3 Reese's peanut butter cups
1 Revlon Colorsilk hair color
1 Neosporin
2 boxes Band-Aids

I split my purchase into 3 orders to maximize the register rewards.

There were 2 orders with 1 Colgate and 2 Sudafeds each.  Both of these orders were $9.95 out of pocket. I earned $9 in register rewards for each so the total amount spent was $0.95 for each order.  The Colgate as $3.99, I had $1 off and received $4.00 in register rewards (I received this for each order).  The Sudafed was $4.99 a box, I had a $2 coupon for each box, this made the boxes $2.99 each.  I then received $5 in register rewards for the purchase.  No more running out to the store when one of us gets a stuffy nose and paying $5+ for cold medicine.

On the final order I used $10 register rewards earned last week and spent $11.24 out of pocket.  I earned $12 in register rewards on this order, with this I technically made $0.76. This order included 1 Colgate and I received the same deal on Tylenol cold as I did on the Sudafed.  I also purchased 2 5 lb bags of Gold Medal flour.  Walgreens had a coupon in the ad that made these 2 for $3.  I had 2 $0.75 off coupons, Walgreens doesn't double coupons so the final price was $0.75 each. Still a decent price for flour.  I learned that you can freeze the flour and then store properly.  Once that is done it will not expire.

I was able to gain more register rewards with the purchase of Neosporin and Band Aids.  The padded mailers were 3 for $1 using a Walgreens coupon from the weekly ad.  The Reese cups were on sale for $0.89 each and I had a $0.55 coupon.  The hair color was $1.99 using a Walgreens coupon, I also had a $1 manufacturer coupon which made it $0.99.

With $30 in register rewards, I am confident I will spend very little out of pocket over the next 2 weeks.  I noticed that they expire quickly (03/31), however if I keep checking the weekly ads and making purchases with my register rewards that yield more register rewards I should be able to keep my expenses very low.

Coupon Savings Week of 3/14 - CVS

Order Quick View: 
Spent:  $23.73

Total Savings: $58.53

Earned: $6 ECB

Purchased:
4 Degree for Women
2 Degree for Men
1 Aussie Volume Conditioner
3 6 packs of Scott mega paper towels
2 Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets

I finally remembered to buy a reusable bag and bag tag this week!  With my first scan, I am only 3 away from $1 in extra care bucks.

I didn't do as well as I would have liked at CVS.  Mostly because of the $2.00 spent on the bag and tag. I also bought the Purex 3 in 1 sheets that were B1G1. They were $10.39 each and even though one was free and I had $2.00 off, it was still $8.39.  I don't typically use this type of laundry soap but found them a godsend when we went to Myrtle Beach. They were much easier to pack and use than liquid soap and dryer sheets.

I was able to get a nice supply of Scott paper towels as well.  They were on sale for $4.99 each and I had $1.00 off. For $3.99 a pack I was able to get 6 of the mega rolls that are pick your size.  The purchase limit on these was 3 so that's what I bought.

Aussie haircare products were on sale for $2.99 and you received $1 ECB with your purchase.  I used a $1 off coupon so this was like getting conditioner for $0.99.  Not the best price but I wanted to try the product.

Lastly, I purchased more deodorant.  Most of what I got for free or $0.50 each over the past two weeks has been Right Guard for men.  I have no issues with using mens deodorant but when presented with the opportunity to get some Degree for women at a good price, I jumped at it! Degree was 2 for $5.  I had coupons that gave $3 off of two.  This took the price to $1.50 each.  CVS was also offering $5 ECB for $15 spent.  I had 3 $3 coupons so I bought 6 sticks at 2 for $5.  With the coupons and ECB the price for all 6 was $1.00, roughly $0.17 a stick.

I was also able to use my $9 in ECB from last week to make the total for my order (with tax) $23.73. I earned another $6.00 in ECB to use if there is anything good next week.

My Truck, My Trunk, My Super Full Trunk

I went shopping today and stocked up on fruit snacks (again), frozen vegetables, and more cereal.  Here is a picture of my trunk before I brought everything into the house:

I did the math and after all of my money earned toward future orders, I spent $85 this week on all my grocery, home, and drug items.  This does not include the dog food which I purchased at Sam's Club. I haven't figured out how to save on that (yet). 

How Are You Doing This?

I frequently get asked how I am saving so much money at the store.  This is a result of posting notes on Facebook about my couponing adventures, my status updates discuss the savings, and now this blog.  I rely mostly on money saving bloggers and facebook friends to let me know where the sales are and what the best match ups for the week will be.

This week was the first week I attempted the match ups myself with my Meijer trip.  I knew I wanted to stop there on Monday, the ad was out but none of the websites had posted the match ups yet.  Most of them were fairly obvious.  Chex Mix was 10 for $10, I had $0.50 coupons that are doubled so the Chex Mix was free.

My grocery savings post from earlier this week reflected that trip to Meijer.  One of my favorite bloggers, Happy Homemaker Cindy posted the match ups for Meijer and I realized there were a few I missed.  I made a second trip to Meijer today to pick up those few items. 

Here is where I am getting my information:
-weekly grocery store ads (Giant Eagle, Meijer, Kroger)
-weekly drug store ads (CVS & Walgreens)
-weekly national store ads (Target)
-blogs:
     -Happy Homemaker Cindy
     -BeCentsable, LLC
     -Deal Seeking Mom
-Meijer Meal Box Coupons - these are store coupons that can be used with manufacturer coupons to increase savings.  They can also be found on Meijer's website.
-E-Coupons for use at Kroger: through the Kroger website you can link to Cellfire and Shortcuts to add coupons to your Kroger shopper card.  I have found that the e-coupon comes off one item in addition to a manufacturers coupon.
-I have become a fan of some of the deal hunters and information about deals and freebies appear in my news feed on facebook.  These have been valuable because it alerts you early when there is a high value coupon or a giveaway that you need to take advantage of quickly since there are only a certain number of coupons that can be printed or items given away.
     -Coupon Geek
     -Money Saving Mom
     -Freebies 4 Mom
     -The Centsable Lady
     -Deal Seeking Mom

I personally don't find going to multiple stores an issue.  I am lucky enough to live in an area where the stores I find the best deals at are within minutes from each other, many are often just across the street. If going to multiple stores doesn't work for you, then use the reference above to find out how to save the most at your favorite grocery/drug store and continue to shop at just one place.

My time spent in the actual store had decreased dramatically.  I am spending more time at home planning the shopping trip and less time in the store.  I like this approach much better than how I previously shopped. I used to spend hours at Sam's Club and sometimes the other grocery stores picking up items without thinking of the price.  If we needed it, I bought it.  If I had a list, I always bought more than what was on the list.

Now I go into the store with my list in hand and coupons ready.  I only buy what I have on my list and that usually includes a coupon or good sale price.  I also figure out how many of each item I can put on an order to maximize the double coupons or catalina deals that give me money on my next order.

I often have 2-4 separate orders when I get to the register.  I keep them straight by using a cart but then putting the baskets you carry in the cart.  You can easily fit 3 of these baskets. I then fill them with the items from my list for each order and put the on the belt at the register when checking out.  I let the cashier know each is a separate order and haven't had any issues.

Coupon Savings Week of 3/14 (Part 1) - Meijer

I started my shopping week off at Meijer to take advantage of their 10 for $10 sale. The 11th item purchased as part of the 10 for $10 was also free. This made some of the items I had coupons for free and the money off applied to the bottom line on my order.  With coupons I was able to get 13 bags of Chex Mix for free and 3 bags Goldfish crackers for free. 

Total Spent:  $27.29

Total Savings:  $79.85

What I purchased:
13 bags of Chex Mix
6 bags of Goldfish
5 lb pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 1 lb packs of ground turkey
8 cans of Manwich
1 Nivea for Men body wash
2 Johnson's Buddies bath soaps
3 Renuzit Air Freshners
2 Gallons 2% Milk
12 boxes of Green Giant frozen vegetables
4 cans Del Monte diced tomatoes
4 cans Pillsbury Grands biscuits

The Hazard of Cheap Fruit Snacks

I shared a post about all of the great deals I have received on fruit snacks over the past two weeks.  My kids have been enjoying this bounty and I realized this morning that they may be enjoying it a bit too much.  When I went to get my middle child (Evan, 2) ready for the day I discovered what I thought was a major head wound, but turned out to be Gushers fruit snack smashed into the side of his head.

The boys had their before bed snack upstairs since they were watching a movie and Evan must have fallen asleep without finishing the Gushers. I didn't see them around him when I tucked him in so I honestly have no idea how it ended up in the bed.

I will have to spend this evening using all of my cheap laundry detergent to clean the sheets.

Here is what his head looked like:

Coupon Savings Week of 3/7 (Part 2)

I finished my grocery shopping for the week with stops at Meijer, Giant Eagle and Walgreens today. I think the grocery gods were against me in terms of time, however they were on my side when it comes to savings. Seems that every store I went to had issues with barcodes on products, scanning coupons, registers out of ink or tape, and slow cashiers. On the plus side, I even impressed the cashier when my total at Meijer was $5.28.

Walgreens was a decent trip as I was able to stock up on cold medicine which I am confident we will use without any problem.

I spent more than I would have liked to at Giant Eagle this week, but I stocked up on diapers, paper towels and toilet paper. Hopefully, my savings at the other stops this week make up for the extra expense. I used my Kroger method at Giant Eagle and had three separate orders to maximize the money toward my next order. This week at Giant Eagle if you spend $30 in certain baby products you get $6 toward your next order. This combined with their sale on diapers and coupons gave me an opportunity to stock up.

I did really well at Meijer this week. I purchased one item that I didn’t have a coupon for and that was a 2 lb. bag of baby carrots for $2.50. Since my final total was $5.28, it means I spent $2.78 for everything detailed below (except for the carrots).

Meijer:
What I spent: $5.28
Total Savings: $26.81
What I purchased:
7 Johnson’s Bath Buddies kid soap
8 Ocsar Meyer lunchable sub kits (no drink)
1 bag of Snyder pretzels
2 Dial foaming hand soap
2 jugs Clorox bleach
1 2lb. bag of carrots

Walgreens:
What I spent: $21.28
Total Savings: $34.97
Received $10 register rewards for my next purchase. Including this $10 I spent $11.28.
What I purchased:
4 NyQuil Liquid Caps
1 DayQuil Liquid Caps
1 box puffs tissues
3 bottles Dawn dishwashing liquid
3 bottles Listerine
6 full size Nestle Crunch bars


I had three orders at Giant Eagle because I wanted to get $6.00 back in diapers purchases on each order.

Giant Eagle Summary:
Spent: $121.36
Received $18.00 toward my next order, which makes my total at Giant Eagle for this week $103.36.

Order 1:
What I spent: $40.20
Total Savings: $39.05
Received $6.00 toward my next order.
What I purchased:
5 boxes Fiber One cereal
4 boxes Betty Crocker cake mix
3 tubs Betty Crocker frosting
1 Endust Free
1 Angel Soft mega pack of toilet paper
1 box of Luvs diapers
2 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers

Order 2:
What I spent: $48.21
Total Savings: $31.63
Received $6.00 toward my next order.
What I purchased:
6 cans Campbell’s Tomato soup
3 packs of Keebler cookies
6 Right Guard deodorants
1 pack of Sparkle paper towels
1 Angel Soft mega pack of toilet paper
1 box of Luvs diapers
2 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers

Order 3:
What I spent: $32.95
Total Savings: $26.61
Received $6.00 toward my next order.
What I purchased:
1 pack of Pampers diapers
2 Philly Cream Cheese minis
4 sticks Right Guard deodorant
2 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers
2 packs of Keebler cookies
1 Angel Soft mega pack of toilet paper