This 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Anyone have tips for how to spread the word?
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.
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.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Kroger Week of 8/1 - A sale combined with coupon match ups = great deals!
Kroger:
Spent: $36.05
Saved: $82.60
Purchased:
2 bottles of All Free & Clear detergent
1 box Nature Valley Granola bars
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch
3 boxes Cherrios
4 boxes Fiber One bars
1 box CoCo Puffs
1 box Quaker Oat Squares cereal
1 box Life cereal
1 box Crunch Berries
1 bottle Tide detergent
2 boxes Quaker instant oatmeal
1 pack fresh strawberries
3 Cover Girl eye shadows
4 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks
2 boxes Golden Grahams snack bars
1 bag Nature Valley granola
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.
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. What are your thoughts on doing this?
Spent: $36.05
Saved: $82.60
Purchased:
2 bottles of All Free & Clear detergent
1 box Nature Valley Granola bars
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch
3 boxes Cherrios
4 boxes Fiber One bars
1 box CoCo Puffs
1 box Quaker Oat Squares cereal
1 box Life cereal
1 box Crunch Berries
1 bottle Tide detergent
2 boxes Quaker instant oatmeal
1 pack fresh strawberries
3 Cover Girl eye shadows
4 boxes Betty Crocker fruit snacks
2 boxes Golden Grahams snack bars
1 bag Nature Valley granola
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.
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. What are your thoughts on doing this?
Meijer Week of 8/1 - How did I spend $50 out of pocket?!
Meijer:
Spent: $57.55
Saved: $46.55
Purchased:
2 boxes of Huggies diapers ($19.77 each!)
2 tubs of Huggies wipes
1 1/2 gallon of Silk Vanilla Soymilk
10 bottles of Sobe lifewater
4 boxes of Post Raisin Bran
4 boxes of Cinnabon cereal
2 gallons milk
1 bottle of Soy cooking oil
1 box of Glad garbage bags
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.
Daphne wears Gro Baby Diapers 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 Luvs
because they aren't very absorbent. Using coupons and sales, I have been pretty good with getting Jumbos packs of Huggies
and Pampers
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.
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.
Spent: $57.55
Saved: $46.55
Purchased:
2 boxes of Huggies diapers ($19.77 each!)
2 tubs of Huggies wipes
1 1/2 gallon of Silk Vanilla Soymilk
10 bottles of Sobe lifewater
4 boxes of Post Raisin Bran
4 boxes of Cinnabon cereal
2 gallons milk
1 bottle of Soy cooking oil
1 box of Glad garbage bags
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.
Daphne wears Gro Baby Diapers 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 Luvs
because they aren't very absorbent. Using coupons and sales, I have been pretty good with getting Jumbos packs of Huggies and Pampers 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.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.
Target Savings Week of 8/1 - Lots of freebies!
Target
Spent: $5.66
Saved: $20.52
Items Purchased:
1 fashion scarf ($1.98)
1 pair of shorts for Daphne ($1.98)
2 Lunchables
4 Clean & Clear face wash (trial size)
2 Reach Floss
6 Johnson & Johnson To-Go First Aid kits
4 packs of Bic pens (10 per pack)
2 packs of Papermate pens (10 per pack)
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!
The Lunchables were $1.25 each and I had $0.50 off so they were $0.75 each.
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.
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!
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!
Spent: $5.66
Saved: $20.52
Items Purchased:
1 fashion scarf ($1.98)
1 pair of shorts for Daphne ($1.98)
2 Lunchables
4 Clean & Clear face wash (trial size)
2 Reach Floss
6 Johnson & Johnson To-Go First Aid kits
4 packs of Bic pens (10 per pack)
2 packs of Papermate pens (10 per pack)
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!
The Lunchables were $1.25 each and I had $0.50 off so they were $0.75 each.
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.
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!
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!
CVS Week of 8/1 - Found a few surprises!
CVS
Spent: $15.82
Saved: $18.40
Earned: $11 ECBs
Received: coupon for $5 off $25 or more and offer for $4 off $20 for updating my email addres
Items Purchased:
10 bottles of Vitamin Water Zero
2 Thermacare Back wraps
3 packs Dentyne Gum
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.
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!
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.
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.
Spent: $15.82
Saved: $18.40
Earned: $11 ECBs
Received: coupon for $5 off $25 or more and offer for $4 off $20 for updating my email addres
Items Purchased:
10 bottles of Vitamin Water Zero
2 Thermacare Back wraps
3 packs Dentyne Gum
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.
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!
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.
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.
Walgreens Week of 8/1 - Is it time for Walgreens to go?
Walgreens
Spent: $11.85
Saved: $36.13
Items Purchased:
4 Stage 2 Gerber baby foods
2 Rolos
1 Walgreens Baby vapor bath
3 Hershey's 5th Avenue
Bars
Bars2 packs Overnight Pull-Ups
3 packs Huggies wipes
(72 wipes per container)
(72 wipes per container)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. Is anyone else having issues at their local Walgreens?
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.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Savings Week of July 26th
Last 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!
I forgot how much I enjoyed the thrill of getting items for free and seeing a $100 total go down to $40.
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.
Last week I went to Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens, and Target. I skipped CVS because there wasn't anything there that I really needed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meijer:
Spent: $28.28
Saved: $92.21
Items Purchased:
2 Rolos
3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1 Reese's Whipped
1 Pack of buns
1 4-pack Yo-Plus yogurt
1 4-pack Fiber One yogurt
8 boxes of GoGurt
4 bags of Chex Mix
1 loaf of bread
2 7 packs of boy's socks
1 6 pack of men's socks
2 packs of tortillas
6 Smart Ones Frozen meals
2 packs of bologna
4 boxes Totino's Pizza Rolls
4 boxes Kellogg's Fiber Plus cereal
2 bags Dole lettuce
3 pepperoni pizzas
Walgreens:
Spent: $4.09
2 rolls of 3M Scotch tape
3 mini composition books
3 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
2 cans black olives
1 game of Clue Secrets & Spies
($11.98)
4 8-packs Juicy Juice
4 Chef-Boyardee microwave meals
4 Kid Cuisine frozen meals
4 boxes Bagel Bites
4 bottles Sobe Lifewater
I forgot how much I enjoyed the thrill of getting items for free and seeing a $100 total go down to $40.
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.
Last week I went to Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens, and Target. I skipped CVS because there wasn't anything there that I really needed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meijer:
Spent: $28.28
Saved: $92.21
Items Purchased:
2 Rolos
3 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
1 Reese's Whipped
1 Pack of buns
1 4-pack Yo-Plus yogurt
1 4-pack Fiber One yogurt
8 boxes of GoGurt
4 bags of Chex Mix
1 loaf of bread
2 7 packs of boy's socks
1 6 pack of men's socks
2 packs of tortillas
6 Smart Ones Frozen meals
2 packs of bologna
4 boxes Totino's Pizza Rolls
4 boxes Kellogg's Fiber Plus cereal
2 bags Dole lettuce
3 pepperoni pizzas
Walgreens:
Spent: $4.09
Saved: $17.39
Items Purchased:
2 2-packs of 3M Command wall hooks
2 rolls of 3M Scotch tape
3 mini composition books
3 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
2 cans black olives
Target:
Spent: $44.85
Saved: $25.97
Items Purchased:
1 can Similac Advance - Powder ($20.99)
1 game of Clue Secrets & Spies
($11.98)4 8-packs Juicy Juice
4 Chef-Boyardee microwave meals
4 Kid Cuisine frozen meals
4 boxes Bagel Bites
4 bottles Sobe Lifewater
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