...and first may I say, I am LOVING our new schedule. We changed a couple of things and now Sunday is a day of rest. I clip coupons and sort today, and make dinner, and sing in the choir and that is about it.
Now. I have shopped all I really want to for the next two weeks. I decided to do a comparison of savings at the different stores I shopped at this weekend and look at the savings.
1. Boise Milk. No savings, but oh! the convenience of having milk and produce delivered to my door! I generally spend $25 a week here, but if I have a coupon for things (like milk) I skip the delivery. This week I bought milk, cheese, and a fruit/veggie pack and was well pleased.
2. Winco. I shopped Winco last this weekend, expecting to save major bucks. Not so much. I read FabuLESSly Frugal regularly and I even shop at the same Winco that they cover, but it's really rare that I find the prices they post. I know Winco changes things around, but where exactly were the $2.18 Lays? They were $3 plus when I shopped-LAME! Not that we need chips all that badly.
So, Winco: spent $90 on current needs and some stockpile, saved $4.40 on coupons for about 4%. Lame.
3. Costco. I am always surprised by the amount I can save at Costco. I've been limiting what I spend there, and trying to buy mostly what I have coupons for. This week, I stocked up on bathroom cleaner and Pledge and kitty litter. I spent $147 and saved $17, for a savings of just over 10%.
4. Walmart. I had a bunch of coupons for Walmart this time and was looking forward to big savings. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I bought a few stock pile items, but forgot a big coupon which upset me. Total spent: $63, and saved $15 with coupons, for just under 20% savings.
5. The big winner: Albertsons. I didn't buy a whole lot there, and I had coupons for just about everything. Total spent: $25. Total saved: $32, for 55%.
I have just over $29 left in the grocery budget for the rest of the month, until 9/30. At this moment, I can't think of a thing we need. What a good feeling that is.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
More lovin' the double couponings
Well, I spent the last of the grocery money today at Albertsons. Fortunately Friday is payday and it's stock up weekend. Yay!
However, today's shopping trips weren't so bad. I did six transactions at Albertsons.
#1: Two bottles of Worcestshire sauce for $1.59 each. Used two 75 cents off coupons and two doublers. Total paid: 18 cents. This is enough sauce to get us through until next summer.
#2: 10 boxes of Tuna Helper, on sale for $1 each plus $5 off when you buy 10. I used two coupons for 75 cents off three, which doubled. Total paid: $2.21. These are going to a foodbank.
#3 8 boxes of Hamburger Helper, on sale for $1, and 2 boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes, also on sale for $1. Got $5 off when you buy 10. Used three coupons for 75 cents off which doubled, and paid 67 cents. The Hamburger Helper goes to my church foodbank.
I went to the vehicle and put these in, and prepped for my next visit. My Albertsons limits to three transactions, although being able to use three coupons for doubling is news to me.
Transaction #4: Bought six packets of round steak, on sale for buy one get one free. Bought a Dannon Oikos yogurt and cauliflower for today's dinner, and bananas. Had three $1 off meat coupons (which expired today) and used three doublers. Had a coupon for free yogurt. Paid $22.29 and saved 55%, which I've NEVER done with meat before. Now I believe we have enough steak to last us three months. I just need to process it with the Food Saver and get it in the freezer. This was the last bit of meat we need.
Transaction #5: 3 more boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes, on sale for $1 each. 4 packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls, on sale for $2.49 4 packages of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, also on sale for $2.49. Use 1 coupon for $1 off three BC potatoes, $1 off two cinnamon rolls, and two 50 cents off two crescent rolls. Doubled the two $1 coupons and one of the 50 cents coupons, and got $5 off the General Mills items. Total paid: $13.35
Transaction #5: 8 packages of Green Giant frozen vegetables, on sale for $1 each. Used 2 80 cents off GG vegetables, and doubled them. Total paid: $6.34.
Also got 5 cents off gas (yay!), 3 coupons for 10 box tops, 3 coupons for 20 box tops, and 2 $2 off meat or tuna coupons (which are going to the foodbank that's getting the Tuna Helper).
Total spent today:$45.06. Total left in the food budget: $39.59. Overspent the food budget by $5.92. :-(
Next week will be better.
Onward!
However, today's shopping trips weren't so bad. I did six transactions at Albertsons.
#1: Two bottles of Worcestshire sauce for $1.59 each. Used two 75 cents off coupons and two doublers. Total paid: 18 cents. This is enough sauce to get us through until next summer.
#2: 10 boxes of Tuna Helper, on sale for $1 each plus $5 off when you buy 10. I used two coupons for 75 cents off three, which doubled. Total paid: $2.21. These are going to a foodbank.
#3 8 boxes of Hamburger Helper, on sale for $1, and 2 boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes, also on sale for $1. Got $5 off when you buy 10. Used three coupons for 75 cents off which doubled, and paid 67 cents. The Hamburger Helper goes to my church foodbank.
I went to the vehicle and put these in, and prepped for my next visit. My Albertsons limits to three transactions, although being able to use three coupons for doubling is news to me.
Transaction #4: Bought six packets of round steak, on sale for buy one get one free. Bought a Dannon Oikos yogurt and cauliflower for today's dinner, and bananas. Had three $1 off meat coupons (which expired today) and used three doublers. Had a coupon for free yogurt. Paid $22.29 and saved 55%, which I've NEVER done with meat before. Now I believe we have enough steak to last us three months. I just need to process it with the Food Saver and get it in the freezer. This was the last bit of meat we need.
Transaction #5: 3 more boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes, on sale for $1 each. 4 packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls, on sale for $2.49 4 packages of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, also on sale for $2.49. Use 1 coupon for $1 off three BC potatoes, $1 off two cinnamon rolls, and two 50 cents off two crescent rolls. Doubled the two $1 coupons and one of the 50 cents coupons, and got $5 off the General Mills items. Total paid: $13.35
Transaction #5: 8 packages of Green Giant frozen vegetables, on sale for $1 each. Used 2 80 cents off GG vegetables, and doubled them. Total paid: $6.34.
Also got 5 cents off gas (yay!), 3 coupons for 10 box tops, 3 coupons for 20 box tops, and 2 $2 off meat or tuna coupons (which are going to the foodbank that's getting the Tuna Helper).
Total spent today:$45.06. Total left in the food budget: $39.59. Overspent the food budget by $5.92. :-(
Next week will be better.
Onward!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Dixie Does Albertsons for under $5
I did a quick trip to Albertsons after work with a few more coupons. I was thrilled to find $1 off Hershey's bars coupon! I still had a bunch of doublers to boot.
All in all, I spent $4.60.
Here's what I got:
2 bags of Skittles, on sale for $2.50 each.
Used: Two $1 off coupons and 2 doublers for $4 off, and a $1 off coupon from Sunday's buy of two cans of Pam.
Total due: .18
Second transaction:
2 boxes of Duncan Hines Cake Mix
2 cans of Duncan Hines frosting
on sale for $1.25 each
Used: 2 $1 off cake mix and frosting coupons
And two doublers, for $4 off. And the second $1 off coupon from Sunday's buy of two cans of Pam (Yes, I bought four cans).
Total due: .18
Third transaction:
2 packs of 6 Hershey's bars, on sale for $2.99 each
Used $1 off two packs coupon, which doubled.
Total due: $4.24 (and yes, this was a TOTAL splurge but man, we love s'mores!)
I have two more doublers, but I'll use them only if I can get more Duncan Hines cake mix coupons.
Onward!
All in all, I spent $4.60.
Here's what I got:
2 bags of Skittles, on sale for $2.50 each.
Used: Two $1 off coupons and 2 doublers for $4 off, and a $1 off coupon from Sunday's buy of two cans of Pam.
Total due: .18
Second transaction:
2 boxes of Duncan Hines Cake Mix
2 cans of Duncan Hines frosting
on sale for $1.25 each
Used: 2 $1 off cake mix and frosting coupons
And two doublers, for $4 off. And the second $1 off coupon from Sunday's buy of two cans of Pam (Yes, I bought four cans).
Total due: .18
Third transaction:
2 packs of 6 Hershey's bars, on sale for $2.99 each
Used $1 off two packs coupon, which doubled.
Total due: $4.24 (and yes, this was a TOTAL splurge but man, we love s'mores!)
I have two more doublers, but I'll use them only if I can get more Duncan Hines cake mix coupons.
Onward!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Albertsons
I have successfully stayed out of the stores for some time, but I had to go today. There were some amazing deals at Albertsons.
I got:
5 Oral B toothbrushes, $1.49, store coupon knocked it down to 99 cents, and manufacturer coupons took another 75 cents off each. Total for five toothbrushes: $1.20
4 bottles of Ken's salad dressing, $1.59, store coupon knocked it down to 99 cents, $1 off coupon made them all free.
2 containers of Oikos yogurt, $1.39, had coupon that made them free.
2 boxes of Velveeta skillet dinners, $1.67, had $1 off coupon, so 67 cents each.
Got 2 coupons for $1 off meat, used one for hamburger.
4 bags of chips for DH and DD.
Not a bad haul.
Then I blew it and went to Walmart, and got a bunch of impulse things.
And I'm thinking about going back to Albertsons tomorrow with double coupons, but we'll see.
I got:
5 Oral B toothbrushes, $1.49, store coupon knocked it down to 99 cents, and manufacturer coupons took another 75 cents off each. Total for five toothbrushes: $1.20
4 bottles of Ken's salad dressing, $1.59, store coupon knocked it down to 99 cents, $1 off coupon made them all free.
2 containers of Oikos yogurt, $1.39, had coupon that made them free.
2 boxes of Velveeta skillet dinners, $1.67, had $1 off coupon, so 67 cents each.
Got 2 coupons for $1 off meat, used one for hamburger.
4 bags of chips for DH and DD.
Not a bad haul.
Then I blew it and went to Walmart, and got a bunch of impulse things.
And I'm thinking about going back to Albertsons tomorrow with double coupons, but we'll see.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Shopping's done for a bit
And here's the report:
$62 for meat and stuff from Boise Milk, delivered Thursday.
$159 for stock up items (canned peaches, pears, chocolate chips, fabric softener, frozen chicken, etc) at Costco. Used a few coupons from Costco.
$12.48 and $17.60 for stock up at Albertsons, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, etc.
and today, finished off the week at Winco and got pasta, selected produce, cheese, yogurt, crackers, and more and spent $58.65.
I saved nothing at Boise Milk, about 2% at Costco and Winco, and 70% at Albertsons. Overall, I am at 17% savings.
Grand total for the trips: $311. The amazing thing? Last month and the month before, I spent $300 at Costco alone.
My goal for the month is to spend $500. That's a huge drop from the previous two months (where, admittedly, I was spending too much stockpiling).
For the next three weeks, I'll therefore have a budget of $63 a week. I can go couponing only if I'm going to save lots and spend very little.
Thank goodness for Fabulesslyfrugal.com, double coupons at Albertsons, and Winco. I will try to stay out of the stores as much as possible, which is where BoiseMilk.com will really help. I can get milk, dairy products, and produce delivered and stay out of the store.
Onward!
$62 for meat and stuff from Boise Milk, delivered Thursday.
$159 for stock up items (canned peaches, pears, chocolate chips, fabric softener, frozen chicken, etc) at Costco. Used a few coupons from Costco.
$12.48 and $17.60 for stock up at Albertsons, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, etc.
and today, finished off the week at Winco and got pasta, selected produce, cheese, yogurt, crackers, and more and spent $58.65.
I saved nothing at Boise Milk, about 2% at Costco and Winco, and 70% at Albertsons. Overall, I am at 17% savings.
Grand total for the trips: $311. The amazing thing? Last month and the month before, I spent $300 at Costco alone.
My goal for the month is to spend $500. That's a huge drop from the previous two months (where, admittedly, I was spending too much stockpiling).
For the next three weeks, I'll therefore have a budget of $63 a week. I can go couponing only if I'm going to save lots and spend very little.
Thank goodness for Fabulesslyfrugal.com, double coupons at Albertsons, and Winco. I will try to stay out of the stores as much as possible, which is where BoiseMilk.com will really help. I can get milk, dairy products, and produce delivered and stay out of the store.
Onward!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Here I go!
Well, I have got a lot of things stock piled.
I've spent a lot of time sorting, organizing, and learning how to coupon. I still feel like I have a lot to learn. However, it is time to put the other half of doing this to the test.
In other words, it's time to cut spending.
The month started 8/18/2011.
I had meat delivered yesterday, and went couponing last night. Half of what I got last night goes to the food bank, but it still comes out of the grocery budget.
Today my hubby and I went to Costco with a very specific list, and a few coupons.
I spent half as much as Costco as I usually do.
I have a budget to meet, and I'm going to do it.
I've spent a lot of time sorting, organizing, and learning how to coupon. I still feel like I have a lot to learn. However, it is time to put the other half of doing this to the test.
In other words, it's time to cut spending.
The month started 8/18/2011.
I had meat delivered yesterday, and went couponing last night. Half of what I got last night goes to the food bank, but it still comes out of the grocery budget.
Today my hubby and I went to Costco with a very specific list, and a few coupons.
I spent half as much as Costco as I usually do.
I have a budget to meet, and I'm going to do it.
Monday, August 15, 2011
I'm thinking I'm getting the hang of this
Yesterday's couponing wasn't stellar. I went after church, and by gosh, the grocery fairies had pretty much cleaned the store out of any good deals that I wanted.
But I did three transactions anyway.
1. 5 boxes of cake mix and 5 cans of ready made frosting. $24 worth of stuff. With preferred savings and 5 75 cent off cake mix and frosting coupons, and 2 of those doubled, I spent $11.45. 56% savings. This transaction was supposed to give a $5 catalina and it did not. I squawked and got the catalina AFTER I was done with everything, but at least I got it.
2. 4 cartons of Dreyer's ice cream. $28 worth! Goodness, who spends $7 a carton on ice cream? But with preferred savings and two $1 off coupons, both of which doubled, I spent $8.60 and got a $4 catalina. 70% savings.
3. Two packages of frozen Jumba Juice smoothie mixes. Regularly $2.99 each, on sale for $2.49, and I had $1 off one coupon with doublers. Spent $1.16, saved $5, for 81% savings. Now that's more like it.
I still left the store feeling very frustrated, because I really wanted some Progresso soup and they were out. And no Totino's pizza. I almost bought some more cereal, just to get the General Mills promotion, but I held off.
I was talking to a co-worker today about my frustration, and I mentioned that I hadn't bought any Hamburger Helper because we don't eat it. My co-worker pointed out that I could buy it and donate it. I'm ashamed of myself, that I didn't think of that, because honestly that was one of the things that drew me to couponing. So I looked up my coupons and I did have some HH ones. When I got off work, I high tailed it to the nearest Albertsons to see what I could do.
Well, they had the things I had missed yesterday. So I did three more transactions.
1. Bought 1o boxes of Hamburger Helper. Used two coupons for 80 cents off 4 boxes, and doubled them. Used the $5 catalina I had fought for yesterday. Spent $2.31. Got a $5 catalina AND a $2 catalina (which alas, I didn't inspect that closely). 90% savings (including preferred savings).
2. Bought 4 cans of Progresso soup and 4 boxes of Totino's pizza rolls., and 4 Totino's party pizzas. Used a $1 off 4 cans coupon for the soup, 40 cents off two coupon for the pizza rolls (had two), and $1 off 4 pizza coupons. The two $1 coupons doubled. I used the two catalinas I had just gotten ($7 total) and spent $1.86. All in all, this was $27 worth of stuff, so I saved 93%.
AND got another $5 catalina.
3. Bought 4 Weber marinade mixes, on sale for 89 cents, and bottles of pop for me and my girl, and splurged on Pillsbury refrigerated desserts. Had 4 coupons for $1 off for the mixes, and 2 of them doubled. Completely forgot that I had a $1 coupon for the dessert, dang it! So I spent $4.41 and saved 68% with preferred savings and all.
And finally got another 5 cents in gas rewards, so have 10 cents off a gallon. Seems like it's taking forever to accumulate these now. I thought they would go faster since I'm shopping more at Albertsons....sigh.
Anyway, according to my tracker, I have saved 33.99% overall. Some trips were better than others. I have discovered that I do not like shopping at Walgreens, as their stock is really limited, but I love Rite Aid. I tend to get flustered at Winco, for some reason (maybe it's knowing that I'm going to bag all that...) and that the trip goes MUCH better if I stop and take a moment before I check out to make sure I have everything I need. And it goes without saying that I have to plan thoroughly and carefully before I set foot in the store.
And along with that, I am going to stop carrying my binder into the store. I'll have it in the car just in case, but I absolutely can not continue to carry the binder and buy things on impulse. There are so many awesome web sites out there that match up sales and coupons, I will continue to make use of them and plan carefully. Now, if I do find something on an amazing sale, I will have to stop and think before I grab it.
Payday is Friday, and I will be shopping. I am REALLY glad to say that I have a nice stockpile. I estimate that I have about three months' worth of most things. There are very few items that I don't have at least one of, but I'll change that this week. Since I've made a really nice stockpile inventory list (and it's on Google docs so I can access it just about any where), I've been able to make a grocery list that's divided into two categories: things we are out of, and things we need for stockpile. I'm really happy that there aren't that many things we're out of. I also made the Costco list based on the coupons I just got in the mail (it's a sad assortment, but by some miracle my fabric softener has a coupon this time around!)
Seriously, though, I have to cut way down on spending now that I know I can save consistently. Ordinarily, I spend a lot of payday weekend and vow to cut down the rest of the month. This month, I'm cutting down on the big shopping trip and dividing the grocery budget into weekly amounts instead of monthly. I've also stopped planning monthly menus....it was getting so tedious....and am doing weekly menus instead. It's amazing how fast I can plan a weekly menu, knowing what I have on hand in the pantry or freezer, and even knowing about what fruits and veggies I'll get delivered by Boise Milk.
So, the goal for the next four weeks (starting Friday) is 50% savings, and to cut spending by 40%. I'm a lot more confident today than I was yesterday.
And tomorrow: one more Albertsons trip. I have $9 in catalinas, and three more doublers to spend. I am looking forward to it.
But I did three transactions anyway.
1. 5 boxes of cake mix and 5 cans of ready made frosting. $24 worth of stuff. With preferred savings and 5 75 cent off cake mix and frosting coupons, and 2 of those doubled, I spent $11.45. 56% savings. This transaction was supposed to give a $5 catalina and it did not. I squawked and got the catalina AFTER I was done with everything, but at least I got it.
2. 4 cartons of Dreyer's ice cream. $28 worth! Goodness, who spends $7 a carton on ice cream? But with preferred savings and two $1 off coupons, both of which doubled, I spent $8.60 and got a $4 catalina. 70% savings.
3. Two packages of frozen Jumba Juice smoothie mixes. Regularly $2.99 each, on sale for $2.49, and I had $1 off one coupon with doublers. Spent $1.16, saved $5, for 81% savings. Now that's more like it.
I still left the store feeling very frustrated, because I really wanted some Progresso soup and they were out. And no Totino's pizza. I almost bought some more cereal, just to get the General Mills promotion, but I held off.
I was talking to a co-worker today about my frustration, and I mentioned that I hadn't bought any Hamburger Helper because we don't eat it. My co-worker pointed out that I could buy it and donate it. I'm ashamed of myself, that I didn't think of that, because honestly that was one of the things that drew me to couponing. So I looked up my coupons and I did have some HH ones. When I got off work, I high tailed it to the nearest Albertsons to see what I could do.
Well, they had the things I had missed yesterday. So I did three more transactions.
1. Bought 1o boxes of Hamburger Helper. Used two coupons for 80 cents off 4 boxes, and doubled them. Used the $5 catalina I had fought for yesterday. Spent $2.31. Got a $5 catalina AND a $2 catalina (which alas, I didn't inspect that closely). 90% savings (including preferred savings).
2. Bought 4 cans of Progresso soup and 4 boxes of Totino's pizza rolls., and 4 Totino's party pizzas. Used a $1 off 4 cans coupon for the soup, 40 cents off two coupon for the pizza rolls (had two), and $1 off 4 pizza coupons. The two $1 coupons doubled. I used the two catalinas I had just gotten ($7 total) and spent $1.86. All in all, this was $27 worth of stuff, so I saved 93%.
AND got another $5 catalina.
3. Bought 4 Weber marinade mixes, on sale for 89 cents, and bottles of pop for me and my girl, and splurged on Pillsbury refrigerated desserts. Had 4 coupons for $1 off for the mixes, and 2 of them doubled. Completely forgot that I had a $1 coupon for the dessert, dang it! So I spent $4.41 and saved 68% with preferred savings and all.
And finally got another 5 cents in gas rewards, so have 10 cents off a gallon. Seems like it's taking forever to accumulate these now. I thought they would go faster since I'm shopping more at Albertsons....sigh.
Anyway, according to my tracker, I have saved 33.99% overall. Some trips were better than others. I have discovered that I do not like shopping at Walgreens, as their stock is really limited, but I love Rite Aid. I tend to get flustered at Winco, for some reason (maybe it's knowing that I'm going to bag all that...) and that the trip goes MUCH better if I stop and take a moment before I check out to make sure I have everything I need. And it goes without saying that I have to plan thoroughly and carefully before I set foot in the store.
And along with that, I am going to stop carrying my binder into the store. I'll have it in the car just in case, but I absolutely can not continue to carry the binder and buy things on impulse. There are so many awesome web sites out there that match up sales and coupons, I will continue to make use of them and plan carefully. Now, if I do find something on an amazing sale, I will have to stop and think before I grab it.
Payday is Friday, and I will be shopping. I am REALLY glad to say that I have a nice stockpile. I estimate that I have about three months' worth of most things. There are very few items that I don't have at least one of, but I'll change that this week. Since I've made a really nice stockpile inventory list (and it's on Google docs so I can access it just about any where), I've been able to make a grocery list that's divided into two categories: things we are out of, and things we need for stockpile. I'm really happy that there aren't that many things we're out of. I also made the Costco list based on the coupons I just got in the mail (it's a sad assortment, but by some miracle my fabric softener has a coupon this time around!)
Seriously, though, I have to cut way down on spending now that I know I can save consistently. Ordinarily, I spend a lot of payday weekend and vow to cut down the rest of the month. This month, I'm cutting down on the big shopping trip and dividing the grocery budget into weekly amounts instead of monthly. I've also stopped planning monthly menus....it was getting so tedious....and am doing weekly menus instead. It's amazing how fast I can plan a weekly menu, knowing what I have on hand in the pantry or freezer, and even knowing about what fruits and veggies I'll get delivered by Boise Milk.
So, the goal for the next four weeks (starting Friday) is 50% savings, and to cut spending by 40%. I'm a lot more confident today than I was yesterday.
And tomorrow: one more Albertsons trip. I have $9 in catalinas, and three more doublers to spend. I am looking forward to it.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Falling down on the job
I did a crappy job of couponing today.
I went to Winco to look for some stuff for camping and a few things we need.
I got Hormel Canadian bacon, but forgot the coupon.
I got two half gallons of milk and forgot the coupon.
I got one other thing, which has slipped my mind, and forgot the coupon.
I didn't get a few items because I couldn't find them at the price I wanted (I can never find popcorn at Winco at the sale price they list on FabulesslyFrugal).
I bought a couple of things on a whim.
I went shopping when I was tired out, and not prepared.
It's an expensive mistake. I can't afford making this mistake again.
Off to lick my wounds.
I went to Winco to look for some stuff for camping and a few things we need.
I got Hormel Canadian bacon, but forgot the coupon.
I got two half gallons of milk and forgot the coupon.
I got one other thing, which has slipped my mind, and forgot the coupon.
I didn't get a few items because I couldn't find them at the price I wanted (I can never find popcorn at Winco at the sale price they list on FabulesslyFrugal).
I bought a couple of things on a whim.
I went shopping when I was tired out, and not prepared.
It's an expensive mistake. I can't afford making this mistake again.
Off to lick my wounds.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Walgreen's
I have found it rather frustrating to coupon at Walgreen's.
But I keep trying.
And I did so today. I went to one Walgreen's on the way home, and bought four bottles of Tresemme for $15 (on sale, they're usually $4.99 apiece). I had four coupons for $1 off, and I got a $5 register reward.
My second transaction:
2 dry erase markers (packs of two) for 99 cents
1 rainbow assortment of Sharpies for $4.99
gum
1 pack of 30 mechanical pencils for $1.99
I paid $3.55, used the $2 off 2 coupon on the dry erase markers and the $5 register reward and got $11 worth of stuff.
Then on to the gym!
On the way home, I passed by another Walgreen's and decided to look at more school supply stuff.
I bought two packs of sheet protectors at 39 cents each, and one bottle of Herbal Essence shampoo (would've bought more but they didn't have the kind my daughter likes best). Got a $1 register reward for my next trip.
Pretty good, actually.
Now I need to finish sorting and putting coupons in the binder, and start prepping for the next big shopping trip on August 19. It is already such a help to have the stockpile inventory mostly done. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of coupons for the next Costco trip but I'll make do.
But I keep trying.
And I did so today. I went to one Walgreen's on the way home, and bought four bottles of Tresemme for $15 (on sale, they're usually $4.99 apiece). I had four coupons for $1 off, and I got a $5 register reward.
My second transaction:
2 dry erase markers (packs of two) for 99 cents
1 rainbow assortment of Sharpies for $4.99
gum
1 pack of 30 mechanical pencils for $1.99
I paid $3.55, used the $2 off 2 coupon on the dry erase markers and the $5 register reward and got $11 worth of stuff.
Then on to the gym!
On the way home, I passed by another Walgreen's and decided to look at more school supply stuff.
I bought two packs of sheet protectors at 39 cents each, and one bottle of Herbal Essence shampoo (would've bought more but they didn't have the kind my daughter likes best). Got a $1 register reward for my next trip.
Pretty good, actually.
Now I need to finish sorting and putting coupons in the binder, and start prepping for the next big shopping trip on August 19. It is already such a help to have the stockpile inventory mostly done. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of coupons for the next Costco trip but I'll make do.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Stock piling is hard work
And I'm really getting tired of it, although I still find it necessary and enticing.
So, yesterday I scrubbed the new stock pile cabinet thoroughly, and wash the walls on either side of it.
Tonight I moved furniture (my desk is next to the stockpile cabinet now). I moved bookshelves so I could wash the main wall in this room. I vacuumed, and I scrubbed. And now I am tired.
I also clipped all of yesterday's coupons. Is it just me, or is there very little to get excited about this week?
What else....in between the bursts of activity, I sat in the recliner and acted as a pillow for the tabby cat. I am now covered with cat hair.
Time for bed.
Um, savings, I got four things at Rite Aid yesterday, two things of Off! (we're going camping this weekend) and two things of Herbal Essence shampoo, and between my Up rewards and everything I paid $11 for $30 worth of stuff. Then I went to Albertsons to get milk and it felt SO weird to have only one coupon (for the milk). I did get some meat and the meat had coupons on it, but I still overspent. $20.
Tomorrow, Walgreen's.
So, yesterday I scrubbed the new stock pile cabinet thoroughly, and wash the walls on either side of it.
Tonight I moved furniture (my desk is next to the stockpile cabinet now). I moved bookshelves so I could wash the main wall in this room. I vacuumed, and I scrubbed. And now I am tired.
I also clipped all of yesterday's coupons. Is it just me, or is there very little to get excited about this week?
What else....in between the bursts of activity, I sat in the recliner and acted as a pillow for the tabby cat. I am now covered with cat hair.
Time for bed.
Um, savings, I got four things at Rite Aid yesterday, two things of Off! (we're going camping this weekend) and two things of Herbal Essence shampoo, and between my Up rewards and everything I paid $11 for $30 worth of stuff. Then I went to Albertsons to get milk and it felt SO weird to have only one coupon (for the milk). I did get some meat and the meat had coupons on it, but I still overspent. $20.
Tomorrow, Walgreen's.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
New place for the stock pile.
I'm excited.
First, I went stockpile shopping on Thursday. I took a bunch of coupons to Walmart and stocked up on dental floss for the stockpile and produce for us. I saved about 25%.
Then to Target where I stocked up on razors (for 59 cents a package) and body wash. I am completely stocked up on those items now.
When we built a pantry last spring, we removed a cabinet that was in the wall. It was hard to find things in, and we didn't like it much. But now we have a full pantry and things are easy to find.
We'd put the cabinet in the garage, thinking it would be useful there. But it wasn't.
So last week, my husband made a space for it around the corner from where it had been. It now faces into the "everything" room....the room I do my couponing in, where we put things that don't have much of a home any place else. It used to be the family room but we changed the family room to the living room and we're happy with it.
Anyway, so I now have a six shelf cabinet for my stock pile. I still need to clean it up. Then I'll fill it up.
I think I'll get some boxes with lids to put some stuff in, especially flour and sugar and rice. But it'll all come.
First, I went stockpile shopping on Thursday. I took a bunch of coupons to Walmart and stocked up on dental floss for the stockpile and produce for us. I saved about 25%.
Then to Target where I stocked up on razors (for 59 cents a package) and body wash. I am completely stocked up on those items now.
When we built a pantry last spring, we removed a cabinet that was in the wall. It was hard to find things in, and we didn't like it much. But now we have a full pantry and things are easy to find.
We'd put the cabinet in the garage, thinking it would be useful there. But it wasn't.
So last week, my husband made a space for it around the corner from where it had been. It now faces into the "everything" room....the room I do my couponing in, where we put things that don't have much of a home any place else. It used to be the family room but we changed the family room to the living room and we're happy with it.
Anyway, so I now have a six shelf cabinet for my stock pile. I still need to clean it up. Then I'll fill it up.
I think I'll get some boxes with lids to put some stuff in, especially flour and sugar and rice. But it'll all come.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Target acquired
I finally found the Jif to go peanut butter at Target. I got to use my free coupon. Okay, it wasn't totally free....I paid 10 cents for the peanut butter.
But that's okay. I got two more things of dental floss. They were 87 cents and I had two coupons for $1 off. I had to buy some gum too, but it's all good. I am happy to have found the peanut butter. My Darling Daughter had expressed a want for it.....and of course I had a really good coupon.
All I did today for my couponing was took all the expired coupons out of my binder....there were tons of them. I clipped coupons yesterday but didn't put them in the binder, and that got done today.
Tomorrow I need to organize the pantry a little bit, there's a few things that have gotten out of hand. I'm considering buying some things to put the cans away more neatly, but just haven't talked myself into spending the $$ yet.
And I need to finish inventorying the stockpile. My husband is working on putting in another cabinet for me. I'm excited.
But that's okay. I got two more things of dental floss. They were 87 cents and I had two coupons for $1 off. I had to buy some gum too, but it's all good. I am happy to have found the peanut butter. My Darling Daughter had expressed a want for it.....and of course I had a really good coupon.
All I did today for my couponing was took all the expired coupons out of my binder....there were tons of them. I clipped coupons yesterday but didn't put them in the binder, and that got done today.
Tomorrow I need to organize the pantry a little bit, there's a few things that have gotten out of hand. I'm considering buying some things to put the cans away more neatly, but just haven't talked myself into spending the $$ yet.
And I need to finish inventorying the stockpile. My husband is working on putting in another cabinet for me. I'm excited.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
I went a little crazy...
today shopping. I really shouldn't have gone. But the siren song of the Albertsons double coupon was almost too much to resist.
Sure, I didn't need to go to Rite Aid. I definitely spent more than I needed to. But the 15 dollars in up+ and the 10 dollar single check rebate....who could resist that?
It's coupon crack, as they say.
So, when I got home and decided that I had indeed spent too much, I indulged in some remorseful moments. And then I got busy and put things away.
The body wash is stashed. I found some more in the cabinet, and we are now completely stocked up.
We have too much toothpaste. My stockpile inventory says 18-21 tubes, we have 31. I am giving 8 tubes away.
We have too much deodorant. My stockpile inventory list says 8-10, and we have 12. I am giving 2 sticks away.
I have redone the stock pile inventory lists and made it into two lists. One list is of the things we have a complete stockpile of and that list is gratifyingly long. The other list is what we need to stockpile still, and how much. There's 120 items on the need list, and 30 on the completely stocked list. There are, however, very few things that I don't have at least one or two items of, thanks to the work I've been doing this summer.
So the second bathroom cabinet is stocked. The hall cabinet is mostly stocked and organized. I need to finish up the inventory, but won't be doing any more major shopping until 8/19.
I went over budget this weekend stockpiling. I made some mistakes: I bought Tide stain release at Albertsons and swore I'd grabbed the $3.99 stuff, but it turns out I hadn't. And I still haven't quite mastered Walgreen's.
And I have some Albertsons double coupons that I don't really know what to do with....I pretty much have bought everything I need for a bit.
Tomorrow I clean out my binder and file the new coupons.
Sure, I didn't need to go to Rite Aid. I definitely spent more than I needed to. But the 15 dollars in up+ and the 10 dollar single check rebate....who could resist that?
It's coupon crack, as they say.
So, when I got home and decided that I had indeed spent too much, I indulged in some remorseful moments. And then I got busy and put things away.
The body wash is stashed. I found some more in the cabinet, and we are now completely stocked up.
We have too much toothpaste. My stockpile inventory says 18-21 tubes, we have 31. I am giving 8 tubes away.
We have too much deodorant. My stockpile inventory list says 8-10, and we have 12. I am giving 2 sticks away.
I have redone the stock pile inventory lists and made it into two lists. One list is of the things we have a complete stockpile of and that list is gratifyingly long. The other list is what we need to stockpile still, and how much. There's 120 items on the need list, and 30 on the completely stocked list. There are, however, very few things that I don't have at least one or two items of, thanks to the work I've been doing this summer.
So the second bathroom cabinet is stocked. The hall cabinet is mostly stocked and organized. I need to finish up the inventory, but won't be doing any more major shopping until 8/19.
I went over budget this weekend stockpiling. I made some mistakes: I bought Tide stain release at Albertsons and swore I'd grabbed the $3.99 stuff, but it turns out I hadn't. And I still haven't quite mastered Walgreen's.
And I have some Albertsons double coupons that I don't really know what to do with....I pretty much have bought everything I need for a bit.
Tomorrow I clean out my binder and file the new coupons.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Organizing the stock pile
So, my teenage daughter is traveling this week for Skills USA.
I haven't cleaned her bathroom for some time.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the walls were kind of gross. So while DD is gone, I decided this was a really good time to scrub her bathroom good.
And it was a good scrub. I actually meant to do a little each night, maybe 15 or 20 minutes at a time.
But last night, I pretty much finished. The walls are all scrubbed, the curtains are washed, the window's clean, and the cabinet drawers are emptied and wiped and reorganized. And I realized that I had a LOT of room under the sink.
After putting back DD's items, in fact, there was about enough room to move some of the stockpile into.
So I moved all the body wash into there.
And I'm thinking today I'll move all the shaving cream under there as well.
All the bubble bath, epsom salts, and bath stuff is in there already. And there's an extra package of toilet paper. And DD's mouthwash and fluoride rinse and hair dryer.
There's one empty drawer, but I think DD uses that for her makeup so I won't take it over.
It is nice to find a little extra room.
I also got some of my coupons that I'd purchased on Ebay. I got 20 Pillsbury brownie mix/frosting coupons. It is so tempting to run to Winco and use them all. But I'll desist. Even 43 cents a box for brownie mix is a little out of reach right now-it's a luxury item because we have plenty. I am going to be able to use these coupons until the end of September.
I am, however, going to go to Target tonight and get the Jif peanut butter that I have a free coupon for. And I have one other item on my list to look at while we're there,if I can find the coupons for them.
Keeping my eyes on the goal.
I haven't cleaned her bathroom for some time.
I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the walls were kind of gross. So while DD is gone, I decided this was a really good time to scrub her bathroom good.
And it was a good scrub. I actually meant to do a little each night, maybe 15 or 20 minutes at a time.
But last night, I pretty much finished. The walls are all scrubbed, the curtains are washed, the window's clean, and the cabinet drawers are emptied and wiped and reorganized. And I realized that I had a LOT of room under the sink.
After putting back DD's items, in fact, there was about enough room to move some of the stockpile into.
So I moved all the body wash into there.
And I'm thinking today I'll move all the shaving cream under there as well.
All the bubble bath, epsom salts, and bath stuff is in there already. And there's an extra package of toilet paper. And DD's mouthwash and fluoride rinse and hair dryer.
There's one empty drawer, but I think DD uses that for her makeup so I won't take it over.
It is nice to find a little extra room.
I also got some of my coupons that I'd purchased on Ebay. I got 20 Pillsbury brownie mix/frosting coupons. It is so tempting to run to Winco and use them all. But I'll desist. Even 43 cents a box for brownie mix is a little out of reach right now-it's a luxury item because we have plenty. I am going to be able to use these coupons until the end of September.
I am, however, going to go to Target tonight and get the Jif peanut butter that I have a free coupon for. And I have one other item on my list to look at while we're there,if I can find the coupons for them.
Keeping my eyes on the goal.
Monday, July 25, 2011
This is more like it
I must say.
I went to Walgreen's to score a deal or two. I decided to do a couple of transactions to see how low I could go.
My first transaction:
2 Twizzler's, on sale for 2 for $3. I used two 50 cent off coupons. I paid $2.18.
I got a $1 register reward.
Second transaction:
I bought two gallons of water for our next camping trip, 2 for $1.50
Two Skintimate shaving creams, $4.49 each
Two Milky Ways 49 cents each
and two Junior caramels, on clearance for 77 cents (usually $1 or more)
I used one Walgreens coupon to save $2.50 off the shaving cream
and two Skintimate coupons of $1.50 each.
Paid $5.48 and saved $10.83.
And totally forgot about the register reward :-(
I was so happy with the shaving cream savings that I went back after dinner for a third transaction.
I didn't have any more $1.50 coupons for the shaving cream, but I had a number of $1 off coupons. So I bought 4 more shaving creams, used the $2.50 Walgreens coupon (they have the ad in the store, thank goodness), and 4 $1 off coupons. I almost couldn't use the register reward as I had to have another item, so I was forced to buy some M &M's for 49 cents. Forced, I say!
Spent $3.96 and saved $15.50.
All in all, I paid $11.64 for $40.90 worth of product, or 72% savings. And I am now stocked up on shaving cream. Yay!
I went to Walgreen's to score a deal or two. I decided to do a couple of transactions to see how low I could go.
My first transaction:
2 Twizzler's, on sale for 2 for $3. I used two 50 cent off coupons. I paid $2.18.
I got a $1 register reward.
Second transaction:
I bought two gallons of water for our next camping trip, 2 for $1.50
Two Skintimate shaving creams, $4.49 each
Two Milky Ways 49 cents each
and two Junior caramels, on clearance for 77 cents (usually $1 or more)
I used one Walgreens coupon to save $2.50 off the shaving cream
and two Skintimate coupons of $1.50 each.
Paid $5.48 and saved $10.83.
And totally forgot about the register reward :-(
I was so happy with the shaving cream savings that I went back after dinner for a third transaction.
I didn't have any more $1.50 coupons for the shaving cream, but I had a number of $1 off coupons. So I bought 4 more shaving creams, used the $2.50 Walgreens coupon (they have the ad in the store, thank goodness), and 4 $1 off coupons. I almost couldn't use the register reward as I had to have another item, so I was forced to buy some M &M's for 49 cents. Forced, I say!
Spent $3.96 and saved $15.50.
All in all, I paid $11.64 for $40.90 worth of product, or 72% savings. And I am now stocked up on shaving cream. Yay!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I was about to throw in the towel....
Honestly.
I have finished the shopping for the week and most of the stocking up is done. There are items I still need to stock up, such as rice, flour, and sugar, but I have enough of everything and can wait for good sales on baking and such.
And I have been keeping track of the spending.
And have been very discouraged. I was chastising myself for the spending. I mean, I've already spent most of the food budget for the next four weeks.
And I want to cut down. Way down.
So I was being really hard on myself, and then I realized something.
I'm adding in everything I spend at the drug stores as well, and have been shopping at drug stores. That's new. And different.
And in the past, I didn't count this in my grocery budget.
So, if I take that spending into account, I have successfully cut back. A lot.
I feel much better.
However, I still need to cut down on spending between now and August 18. I usually get milk and produce delivered once a week and I'll skip at least one delivery as I have coupons for free milk. We really do not need anything at all, I have plenty of meat and cheese and stuff. And I'm just going to make it a game: how low can the spending go?
I have finished the shopping for the week and most of the stocking up is done. There are items I still need to stock up, such as rice, flour, and sugar, but I have enough of everything and can wait for good sales on baking and such.
And I have been keeping track of the spending.
And have been very discouraged. I was chastising myself for the spending. I mean, I've already spent most of the food budget for the next four weeks.
And I want to cut down. Way down.
So I was being really hard on myself, and then I realized something.
I'm adding in everything I spend at the drug stores as well, and have been shopping at drug stores. That's new. And different.
And in the past, I didn't count this in my grocery budget.
So, if I take that spending into account, I have successfully cut back. A lot.
I feel much better.
However, I still need to cut down on spending between now and August 18. I usually get milk and produce delivered once a week and I'll skip at least one delivery as I have coupons for free milk. We really do not need anything at all, I have plenty of meat and cheese and stuff. And I'm just going to make it a game: how low can the spending go?
Friday, July 22, 2011
Feeling stocked up
Or close to it.
1. I bought coupons today on Ebay, and it made me think about the coupons I am giving away. I don't feel like I have enough of any of my coupons to sell on Ebay, but it's nice to know that is an option if I can't give them away. (Big enough hint? I have lots of coupons to give away.)
I look forward to buying a lot of cake mix and frosting with the coupons I bought.
2. Went to Costco today. I spent more than usual, BUT I used coupons and stocked up on several things. I believe we have plenty of laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner. I need to do a quick inventory and update the stockpile list.
I did buy two unplanned items: AA batteries and dog biscuits. Having DH come with me is not always a good thing.
I did save 10% using coupons. I'm excited about that.
I saved about 60% yesterday at Albertsons, but spent a bunch today and so am only running about 17% savings. But that includes a delivery from Boise Milk and Costco.
I am going to Winco tomorrow, and then I think I'll be done for a little bit.
This month, I have to cut back on spending. So after Winco (where I will of course be using coupons and keeping careful track of spending), I am going to only going to shop if I can save huge. Double coupons, yes. Less than a buck for most things, maybe.
Which reminds me, I need to check some scenarios for under 5 buck shopping.
Oh, and DH is going to Rite Aid tomorrow with me for shopping. He needs to buy vitamins. There are a couple of things I would like to get there, but if I don't it won't be that big a deal.
One other thing I learned: breadsticks get really flat when you use the FoodSaver.
1. I bought coupons today on Ebay, and it made me think about the coupons I am giving away. I don't feel like I have enough of any of my coupons to sell on Ebay, but it's nice to know that is an option if I can't give them away. (Big enough hint? I have lots of coupons to give away.)
I look forward to buying a lot of cake mix and frosting with the coupons I bought.
2. Went to Costco today. I spent more than usual, BUT I used coupons and stocked up on several things. I believe we have plenty of laundry detergent, toilet paper, dish detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner. I need to do a quick inventory and update the stockpile list.
I did buy two unplanned items: AA batteries and dog biscuits. Having DH come with me is not always a good thing.
I did save 10% using coupons. I'm excited about that.
I saved about 60% yesterday at Albertsons, but spent a bunch today and so am only running about 17% savings. But that includes a delivery from Boise Milk and Costco.
I am going to Winco tomorrow, and then I think I'll be done for a little bit.
This month, I have to cut back on spending. So after Winco (where I will of course be using coupons and keeping careful track of spending), I am going to only going to shop if I can save huge. Double coupons, yes. Less than a buck for most things, maybe.
Which reminds me, I need to check some scenarios for under 5 buck shopping.
Oh, and DH is going to Rite Aid tomorrow with me for shopping. He needs to buy vitamins. There are a couple of things I would like to get there, but if I don't it won't be that big a deal.
One other thing I learned: breadsticks get really flat when you use the FoodSaver.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Coupons to GIVE AWAY
And they are not expired, although a few of them will be soon.
$2.50 off any 2 Playtex tampons
$1 off 2 cans fat free Pringles
$1 off half gallon Silk $1 off any one package Pull Ups
75 cents off one box Fiber One 80 calorie cereal
75 cents off one box Fiber One (hurry, expires 7/23)
$1 off any ob product (gone)
75 cents off any two yoplait (go gurt,etc) printed coupon
$1 off any 2 gallons of Swiss premium tea
$3 off any one package of Huggies diapers
$1.50 off any one package of Huggies diapers
50 cents off any one package of Huggies baby wipes
75 cents off any three Hamburger Helper
50 cents off any one box Total cereal
$1 off any two packages King's Hawaiian 12 pack rolls or 4 pack sandwich buns
$1 off any 2 Wyler light items
75 cents off any one box Fiber One 90 calorie brownies
50 cents off any two boxes Betty Crocker fruit shapes, fruit by the foot, fruit gushers or fruit roll ups (gone)
40 cents off any one box Fiber One chewy bars
75 cents off any one package Kleenex hand towels
I have multiples of most of these coupons (except for the Wyler one) and would like to send these to a good home.
Da Rules:
1. First come, first serve.
2. Leave me a comment on THIS post if you would like some of these coupons, and tell me which ones you would like.
3. I will contact you for your snail mail address and send your coupons on the way!
$2.50 off any 2 Playtex tampons
$1 off 2 cans fat free Pringles
$1 off half gallon Silk $1 off any one package Pull Ups
75 cents off one box Fiber One 80 calorie cereal
75 cents off one box Fiber One (hurry, expires 7/23)
$1 off any ob product (gone)
75 cents off any two yoplait (go gurt,etc) printed coupon
$1 off any 2 gallons of Swiss premium tea
$3 off any one package of Huggies diapers
$1.50 off any one package of Huggies diapers
50 cents off any one package of Huggies baby wipes
75 cents off any three Hamburger Helper
50 cents off any one box Total cereal
$1 off any two packages King's Hawaiian 12 pack rolls or 4 pack sandwich buns
$1 off any 2 Wyler light items
75 cents off any one box Fiber One 90 calorie brownies
50 cents off any two boxes Betty Crocker fruit shapes, fruit by the foot, fruit gushers or fruit roll ups (gone)
40 cents off any one box Fiber One chewy bars
75 cents off any one package Kleenex hand towels
I have multiples of most of these coupons (except for the Wyler one) and would like to send these to a good home.
Da Rules:
1. First come, first serve.
2. Leave me a comment on THIS post if you would like some of these coupons, and tell me which ones you would like.
3. I will contact you for your snail mail address and send your coupons on the way!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I know better than this....
Went shopping after work at Fred Meyer. Daughter needed things for her trip this week (going to Washington DC) including a pair of khakis.
So we got her some khakis, some pantyhose, some socks, and some travel size things (laundry detergent, shampoo, mouthwash.
I also got some things on sale: Tillamook shredded cheese for $ 1 each (with coupon, on sale for $3 each without the coupon), diced tomatoes (50 cents a can), cherries (yum), 4 tubes of toothpaste (on sale for $1.50 each, 75 cents coupons for each), some deodorant, and two packs of razors (on sale for $5.99, $4 off coupon, and a buy one get one free coupon so I paid $1.99 for two packs).
My mistake was to go before dinner, and we were hungry. So I bought a couple of things like Doritos that we didn't really need. And the cashier rang up my cherries as grapes, which were twice as expensive. I didn't catch that until I looked at the receipt on the way out. Of course I got it fixed right away.
However, I got a $2 coupon from the toothpaste, which is cool.
They were out of the laundry detergent I wanted, and I forgot to ask for a rain check. If I go to another store tomorrow and they have some, I'll have scored some for free with the $2 off coupon. That rocks.
Right now I should be sorting my coupons and putting them away, but my head aches and I'm really tired and I have things to do. So maybe later. Like tomorrow.
So we got her some khakis, some pantyhose, some socks, and some travel size things (laundry detergent, shampoo, mouthwash.
I also got some things on sale: Tillamook shredded cheese for $ 1 each (with coupon, on sale for $3 each without the coupon), diced tomatoes (50 cents a can), cherries (yum), 4 tubes of toothpaste (on sale for $1.50 each, 75 cents coupons for each), some deodorant, and two packs of razors (on sale for $5.99, $4 off coupon, and a buy one get one free coupon so I paid $1.99 for two packs).
My mistake was to go before dinner, and we were hungry. So I bought a couple of things like Doritos that we didn't really need. And the cashier rang up my cherries as grapes, which were twice as expensive. I didn't catch that until I looked at the receipt on the way out. Of course I got it fixed right away.
However, I got a $2 coupon from the toothpaste, which is cool.
They were out of the laundry detergent I wanted, and I forgot to ask for a rain check. If I go to another store tomorrow and they have some, I'll have scored some for free with the $2 off coupon. That rocks.
Right now I should be sorting my coupons and putting them away, but my head aches and I'm really tired and I have things to do. So maybe later. Like tomorrow.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Can you say Awesome?
I know you can.
So, thanks again to Fabulessly Frugal and their awesome lists, I went to Albertsons today with DOUBLE coupons (love them!) and saved a bucket of money.
I made a couple of mistakes but I think I made everything right in the end.
So, here's what I got:
Transaction number one:
Bought 1 loaf of Franz bread, usually $3.29, on sale for $1.99, in ad coupon made it $1.50.
4 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, $2.50 each.
Coupons used:
$1 off the Franz bread, which doubled
2 60 cents off HN Cheerios, which doubled
2 50 cents off HN Cheerios, which did not double (only 3 doublers per transaction)
Got: 2 $2 catalina for next transaction AND a coupon for free milk
$22.61 worth of groceries (before preferred savings), paid $6.66
Transaction number two:
4 boxes of Lucky Charms, $2.50 each
3 boxes of Pop Tarts, $2 each
Coupons used:
2 $1/2 GM cereal, both of which doubled
$2 coupon for the Pop Tarts.
Mistake number 1: couldn't double the Pop tart coupon, so I took it back and used it later.
Got:2 $2 catalina, $1 catalina, and yes...free milk coupon.
Bought: about $30 worth of stuff (before preferred savings) and paid $8.84
Transaction number three:
Bought 4 boxes of granola bars
($2.50 each)
Coupons used:
2 85 cents off two boxes coupons, which doubled
the $2 catalina, the $1 catalina, and the $2 catalina
Bought: $17.96 worth of items (before preferred savings) and spent: $2.10
Got: $2 catalina and yet another free milk coupon
Since Albertsons wants you to stick to three transactions, and there was a line, I put the above items in the car trunk and went back for more.
Transaction number 4:
6 bottles of All detergent, $5.99 each (on sale for 3.99)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 bottles of BBQ sauce
Coupons used:
6 $1 off All, three of which doubled
$2 catalina
Bought $37.39 of stuff, spent $11.19
Transaction number 5:
32 oz. strawberry yogurt
2 Splitz yogurts (on clearance, $1.29 each)
Poise pads
Coupons used:
75 cents off Splitz, which doubled
60 cents off Yoplait, which doubled
$1 off Poise, which doubled
$2 catalina
Bought $17 worth of stuff, paid $5.53
Transaction number 6:
Twizzlers
ice cream
corn
cherries
egg noodles
Used 50 cents off Twizzlers coupons, which doubled, spent $12.33 for $21 worth of stuff and a $2 catalina
Put stuff away. Realized I had not purchased eggs, which I went back and got.
Overall, spent $48
SAVED $99.50, or 67%
I'll take it.
I spent 80 minutes doing the shopping, which would've been much shorter if I had remembered the eggs and organized a tad better. The first three transactions took about 20 minutes.
So, thanks again to Fabulessly Frugal and their awesome lists, I went to Albertsons today with DOUBLE coupons (love them!) and saved a bucket of money.
I made a couple of mistakes but I think I made everything right in the end.
So, here's what I got:
Transaction number one:
Bought 1 loaf of Franz bread, usually $3.29, on sale for $1.99, in ad coupon made it $1.50.
4 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, $2.50 each.
Coupons used:
$1 off the Franz bread, which doubled
2 60 cents off HN Cheerios, which doubled
2 50 cents off HN Cheerios, which did not double (only 3 doublers per transaction)
Got: 2 $2 catalina for next transaction AND a coupon for free milk
$22.61 worth of groceries (before preferred savings), paid $6.66
Transaction number two:
4 boxes of Lucky Charms, $2.50 each
3 boxes of Pop Tarts, $2 each
Coupons used:
2 $1/2 GM cereal, both of which doubled
$2 coupon for the Pop Tarts.
Mistake number 1: couldn't double the Pop tart coupon, so I took it back and used it later.
Got:2 $2 catalina, $1 catalina, and yes...free milk coupon.
Bought: about $30 worth of stuff (before preferred savings) and paid $8.84
Transaction number three:
Bought 4 boxes of granola bars
($2.50 each)
Coupons used:
2 85 cents off two boxes coupons, which doubled
the $2 catalina, the $1 catalina, and the $2 catalina
Bought: $17.96 worth of items (before preferred savings) and spent: $2.10
Got: $2 catalina and yet another free milk coupon
Since Albertsons wants you to stick to three transactions, and there was a line, I put the above items in the car trunk and went back for more.
Transaction number 4:
6 bottles of All detergent, $5.99 each (on sale for 3.99)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 bottles of BBQ sauce
Coupons used:
6 $1 off All, three of which doubled
$2 catalina
Bought $37.39 of stuff, spent $11.19
Transaction number 5:
32 oz. strawberry yogurt
2 Splitz yogurts (on clearance, $1.29 each)
Poise pads
Coupons used:
75 cents off Splitz, which doubled
60 cents off Yoplait, which doubled
$1 off Poise, which doubled
$2 catalina
Bought $17 worth of stuff, paid $5.53
Transaction number 6:
Twizzlers
ice cream
corn
cherries
egg noodles
Used 50 cents off Twizzlers coupons, which doubled, spent $12.33 for $21 worth of stuff and a $2 catalina
Put stuff away. Realized I had not purchased eggs, which I went back and got.
Overall, spent $48
SAVED $99.50, or 67%
I'll take it.
I spent 80 minutes doing the shopping, which would've been much shorter if I had remembered the eggs and organized a tad better. The first three transactions took about 20 minutes.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Couponing at the Walmart
Walmart is not my favorite store. I have trouble finding things. I did finally find most of the stuff on my list.
I started with the list from Fabulessly Frugal, Walmart under $1. I really had a lot I wanted to stock up. I got:
2 bags of cough drops (no coupons)
5 boxes of Curad band aids
5 trial size Cascade complete dish detergent (pellets)
1 tube of Gold Bond anti itch lotion
2 bottles of Jelly Belly shaved ice syrup
5 jars of Nalleys dill chip pickles
4 bottles of Heinz white vinegar
6 3 Musketeers candy bars
2 cucumbers
2 green peppers
1 box of Duncan Heinz brownie mix
The most expensive item, Gold Bond lotion, for $3.78, and the next most expensive was the cough drops at $1.18. Everything else was under $1. The Cascade was free.
All in all, I spent $30. I saved 36%. I have a number of items stockpiled and I'm very pleased with the progress!
I started with the list from Fabulessly Frugal, Walmart under $1. I really had a lot I wanted to stock up. I got:
2 bags of cough drops (no coupons)
5 boxes of Curad band aids
5 trial size Cascade complete dish detergent (pellets)
1 tube of Gold Bond anti itch lotion
2 bottles of Jelly Belly shaved ice syrup
5 jars of Nalleys dill chip pickles
4 bottles of Heinz white vinegar
6 3 Musketeers candy bars
2 cucumbers
2 green peppers
1 box of Duncan Heinz brownie mix
The most expensive item, Gold Bond lotion, for $3.78, and the next most expensive was the cough drops at $1.18. Everything else was under $1. The Cascade was free.
All in all, I spent $30. I saved 36%. I have a number of items stockpiled and I'm very pleased with the progress!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
I Love Rite Aid!
I just have to say that.
I have had the best time so far, and the best luck, couponing at Rite Aid. And they are so darn nice about it!
So, I studied the ads posted on Fabulessly Frugal and looked at my stock pile list, and decided that I would buy 4 Schick razors, 4 Softsoap body washes, one Crest Pro Health toothpaste, and 2 boxes of band aids. The razors and toothpaste were for the stock pile, and we needed the bandaids and body wash.
I'd looked at websites with scenarios to see how I could arrange my purchases to spend the least amount. Krazy Coupon Lady does this, has scenarios for spending under $5. I didn't need some of the items in her scenario, but the idea made sense. So I did the same thing, arranging the purchases to maximize savings.
All in all, I bought 4 razors, 4 bottles of body wash, 1 toothpaste, 2 band aids. I was so awfully thirsty that I bought two diet cokes and 1 water.
Here's how I purchased the items, and the coupons I used:
Purchase number 1:
Crest ProNamel toothpaste, $2.69
2 boxes of band aids, 2 for $6
1 Schick razor, on sale for $7.99.
Total: $16.68 plus $1 tax
Coupons used:
$4 off the razor
$0.50 off the bandaids
$0.75 off the toothpaste
$3 off $15 from a Rite Aid survey
Wellness plus coupons from previous purchases for $2
Total spent out of pocket: $7.25
Received $2 wellness plus coupon for the razor purchase and $1 coupon from the bandaids
Will receive $2.69 rebate for the toothpaste
AND got an invite for another survey ($3)
Purchase number 2:
2 razors, $7.99 each
$15.98 plus 95 cents sales tax
Coupons: the second $3 off $15 coupon from a survey
2 $4 off coupons for the razors
$3 in wellness plus coupons from the first purchase
Total out of pocket: $2.76
And got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
Purchase number 3:
2 Diet cokes, $1.49 each
1 razor, $7.99
1 SoftSoap body wash, $2.99
$13.96 plus 83 cents tax
Coupons used:
$1 off 2 diet cokes
$4 off razor
The 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase number 2
Total out of pocket: $4.60
and got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
At this point, I decided to head over to my side of town, as traffic was starting to pick up, and the Rite Aid I was at didn't have one of the body wash flavors I wanted to try.
And I needed to go to the gym, which is pretty close to the other Rite Aid.
Drank a diet coke on the way :-)
Purchase number 4:
2 softsoap body washes at $2.99 each
$5.98 plus 35 cents tax
Coupons used: the 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase 3
Total out of pocket: $2.34
Got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
Purchase number 5:
1 softsoap body wash, $2.99
1 bottle aquafina water (still thirsty) $1.69
$4.68 plus 28 cents tax
Coupons used: the 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase 4
Total out of pocket: 96 cents.
Got: one more wellness plus $2 off coupon to be used at a future transaction
So, to recap, I bought
Merchandise worth $60.69 (includes sales tax)
and spent a total of $17.91
Yup, that's 71% off
AND I still have: a $3 off purchase of $15 (once I complete the survey) coupon
$2.69 rebate
and $2 wellness plus coupon for a future transaction
so, adding those into my savings, I'll be out of pocket $10.31 (which is 84% total savings).
I prefer to go with the 71%, because it'll take a while to reap the rewards.
I am very happy with my efforts, and now need 10 tubes of toothpaste and 9 more razors to complete that part of the stock pile. And need 4 more bottles of body wash.
After seven weeks of serious couponing and stock piling, I am very pleased with the progress I've made. I have a year's worth of several items stockpiled. We really have enough cereal, cornbread mix, kidney beans, jello, evaporated milk, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, tuna, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, flavored vinegar, deodorant for my hubby, windex, parmesan cheese, sunscreen, and bar soap. Woohoo!
I have had the best time so far, and the best luck, couponing at Rite Aid. And they are so darn nice about it!
So, I studied the ads posted on Fabulessly Frugal and looked at my stock pile list, and decided that I would buy 4 Schick razors, 4 Softsoap body washes, one Crest Pro Health toothpaste, and 2 boxes of band aids. The razors and toothpaste were for the stock pile, and we needed the bandaids and body wash.
I'd looked at websites with scenarios to see how I could arrange my purchases to spend the least amount. Krazy Coupon Lady does this, has scenarios for spending under $5. I didn't need some of the items in her scenario, but the idea made sense. So I did the same thing, arranging the purchases to maximize savings.
All in all, I bought 4 razors, 4 bottles of body wash, 1 toothpaste, 2 band aids. I was so awfully thirsty that I bought two diet cokes and 1 water.
Here's how I purchased the items, and the coupons I used:
Purchase number 1:
Crest ProNamel toothpaste, $2.69
2 boxes of band aids, 2 for $6
1 Schick razor, on sale for $7.99.
Total: $16.68 plus $1 tax
Coupons used:
$4 off the razor
$0.50 off the bandaids
$0.75 off the toothpaste
$3 off $15 from a Rite Aid survey
Wellness plus coupons from previous purchases for $2
Total spent out of pocket: $7.25
Received $2 wellness plus coupon for the razor purchase and $1 coupon from the bandaids
Will receive $2.69 rebate for the toothpaste
AND got an invite for another survey ($3)
Purchase number 2:
2 razors, $7.99 each
$15.98 plus 95 cents sales tax
Coupons: the second $3 off $15 coupon from a survey
2 $4 off coupons for the razors
$3 in wellness plus coupons from the first purchase
Total out of pocket: $2.76
And got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
Purchase number 3:
2 Diet cokes, $1.49 each
1 razor, $7.99
1 SoftSoap body wash, $2.99
$13.96 plus 83 cents tax
Coupons used:
$1 off 2 diet cokes
$4 off razor
The 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase number 2
Total out of pocket: $4.60
and got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
At this point, I decided to head over to my side of town, as traffic was starting to pick up, and the Rite Aid I was at didn't have one of the body wash flavors I wanted to try.
And I needed to go to the gym, which is pretty close to the other Rite Aid.
Drank a diet coke on the way :-)
Purchase number 4:
2 softsoap body washes at $2.99 each
$5.98 plus 35 cents tax
Coupons used: the 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase 3
Total out of pocket: $2.34
Got 2 $2 wellness plus coupons
Purchase number 5:
1 softsoap body wash, $2.99
1 bottle aquafina water (still thirsty) $1.69
$4.68 plus 28 cents tax
Coupons used: the 2 $2 wellness plus coupons from purchase 4
Total out of pocket: 96 cents.
Got: one more wellness plus $2 off coupon to be used at a future transaction
So, to recap, I bought
Merchandise worth $60.69 (includes sales tax)
and spent a total of $17.91
Yup, that's 71% off
AND I still have: a $3 off purchase of $15 (once I complete the survey) coupon
$2.69 rebate
and $2 wellness plus coupon for a future transaction
so, adding those into my savings, I'll be out of pocket $10.31 (which is 84% total savings).
I prefer to go with the 71%, because it'll take a while to reap the rewards.
I am very happy with my efforts, and now need 10 tubes of toothpaste and 9 more razors to complete that part of the stock pile. And need 4 more bottles of body wash.
After seven weeks of serious couponing and stock piling, I am very pleased with the progress I've made. I have a year's worth of several items stockpiled. We really have enough cereal, cornbread mix, kidney beans, jello, evaporated milk, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, tuna, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, flavored vinegar, deodorant for my hubby, windex, parmesan cheese, sunscreen, and bar soap. Woohoo!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Something has clicked
And the past several shops I've done have been far more successful. I don't know if I've gained confidence or what. It all started with the Rite Aid success of last week. That 90% really tipped it for me.
I've been making much more use of the three websites I favor: Fabulessly Frugal, Extremely Normal Couponing, and Krazy Coupon Lady. I print lists off (usually from Fabulessly Frugal, they are the easiest for me to adjust). I plan very carefully. And I plan some more.
The last seven shops I've done the minimum I've saved is 52% and the max of course is 90%. I've bought a bunch of coke products, feminine products, and toothbrushes. We are completely stocked up for the party tomorrow, and for camping next week. We have soda, food, chips, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
I am still learning. Today, for instance, I went to Walgreen's. I scored free toothbrushes and that felt amazing. However, I did not realize that I would only get one register reward out of the three things I bought that qualified. I would've saved a bit more if I'd done three transactions. I got four free toothbrushes (buy 2, get $2 off) and two toothbrushes for 99 cents each, and four boxes of jello, and a can of Off and spent 10 bucks. And I have a $1 register reward for next time. Not bad, but could've been better. I hear that Walgreen's is tough to coupon in, and I concur.
Coupons are all clipped for the week, and organized. I am broke until payday, so no shopping for a while.
I've been making much more use of the three websites I favor: Fabulessly Frugal, Extremely Normal Couponing, and Krazy Coupon Lady. I print lists off (usually from Fabulessly Frugal, they are the easiest for me to adjust). I plan very carefully. And I plan some more.
The last seven shops I've done the minimum I've saved is 52% and the max of course is 90%. I've bought a bunch of coke products, feminine products, and toothbrushes. We are completely stocked up for the party tomorrow, and for camping next week. We have soda, food, chips, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
I am still learning. Today, for instance, I went to Walgreen's. I scored free toothbrushes and that felt amazing. However, I did not realize that I would only get one register reward out of the three things I bought that qualified. I would've saved a bit more if I'd done three transactions. I got four free toothbrushes (buy 2, get $2 off) and two toothbrushes for 99 cents each, and four boxes of jello, and a can of Off and spent 10 bucks. And I have a $1 register reward for next time. Not bad, but could've been better. I hear that Walgreen's is tough to coupon in, and I concur.
Coupons are all clipped for the week, and organized. I am broke until payday, so no shopping for a while.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Almost ready for party
And all I need to get is hamburgers and buns. And maybe pickles. I have all the pop we'll need, and hot dogs, and chips. Other people are bringing things, which is delightful.
Oh, and fireworks. We don't have those yet. But we have time.
Have you noticed that even the fireworks places have coupons? I have a couple of coupons. How awesome is that.
Onward.
Oh, and fireworks. We don't have those yet. But we have time.
Have you noticed that even the fireworks places have coupons? I have a couple of coupons. How awesome is that.
Onward.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Rite Aid Rocks (Thank You, Fabulessly Frugal!)
So, I went to Rite Aid yesterday armed with Up+ Rewards from the last shopping ($17.96 worth), coupons, and the list I print off from Fabulessly Frugal (Mel totally rocks this site!)
I was aiming for stockpiling feminine hygiene products and maybe shaving gel. They didn't seem to have the shaving gel on sale, so I passed on that. I got 4 boxes of Stayfree pads (2/$5, with a buy one get one free coupon times two). I got 2 boxes of Carefree pads (also 2/$5, with a 55 cent off coupon times two). I got a bottle of Veet ($6.49, with a $2 off coupon). I got some bubble gum (it's my weakness).
My first total was $25.52 and then I whipped out the coupons. $7.50 off with the coupons. Sweet! Then I used my up+ coupons ($1.50 times two, $2.99 times three, $2, and $1). I have one more up+ coupon from that trip, for $2.99. My grand total for today? $2.56.
Did you hear me scream? Yep. Finally I got big bucks off. Okay, it wasn't a huge trip (I really don't see buying $600 or more at a time of anything). But it's 90% off. And I got $7 in up+ coupons for next time, and still have one from last time (that needs to be spent by 7/9). And I have more coupons for similar products, and yes we'll stock up.
So, I'm learning that it's not just the coupons that saves, that planning things very carefully is required. For instance, if I buy just Stayfree/Carefree at my next visit (and I'll get four items, two Stayfree and 2 Carefree), and one box of toothpaste, I'll use my Up+ rewards (as much as allowed) and pay about a buck. And then I'll do a second transaction with the shaving gel and use the first transaction's rewards on that, and pay a couple of bucks. Doing just one transaction would cost around 7 bucks. It's a little savings, but the little savings are starting to add up.
And with these great sales, I'm now at a solid 25% savings on everything I've bought since the end of May. 50% savings on groceries (and cutting the spending) does now seem achievable.
Onward!
I was aiming for stockpiling feminine hygiene products and maybe shaving gel. They didn't seem to have the shaving gel on sale, so I passed on that. I got 4 boxes of Stayfree pads (2/$5, with a buy one get one free coupon times two). I got 2 boxes of Carefree pads (also 2/$5, with a 55 cent off coupon times two). I got a bottle of Veet ($6.49, with a $2 off coupon). I got some bubble gum (it's my weakness).
My first total was $25.52 and then I whipped out the coupons. $7.50 off with the coupons. Sweet! Then I used my up+ coupons ($1.50 times two, $2.99 times three, $2, and $1). I have one more up+ coupon from that trip, for $2.99. My grand total for today? $2.56.
Did you hear me scream? Yep. Finally I got big bucks off. Okay, it wasn't a huge trip (I really don't see buying $600 or more at a time of anything). But it's 90% off. And I got $7 in up+ coupons for next time, and still have one from last time (that needs to be spent by 7/9). And I have more coupons for similar products, and yes we'll stock up.
So, I'm learning that it's not just the coupons that saves, that planning things very carefully is required. For instance, if I buy just Stayfree/Carefree at my next visit (and I'll get four items, two Stayfree and 2 Carefree), and one box of toothpaste, I'll use my Up+ rewards (as much as allowed) and pay about a buck. And then I'll do a second transaction with the shaving gel and use the first transaction's rewards on that, and pay a couple of bucks. Doing just one transaction would cost around 7 bucks. It's a little savings, but the little savings are starting to add up.
And with these great sales, I'm now at a solid 25% savings on everything I've bought since the end of May. 50% savings on groceries (and cutting the spending) does now seem achievable.
Onward!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Coupons are clipped
The coupons are clipped, and they're filed in the binder. Sometime later this week, I'll go get soda, buns, and hamburger patties. We will then be ready to par-tay on the 4th of July. Oh yeah, we'll get fireworks. Dh has just been paid (he gets paid monthly) and the bills are paid from his check. I am unable to pay a couple of the medical bills at this time, but my next check isn't too far away and I'll take care of them then.
I am not planning to do much for grocery shopping this week except for the party supplies (and milk, got to redeem the coupon for free milk that I have) but I'll probably be clipping more coupons and planning the July 8 shopping. I am going to prioritize the stockpile list by the coupons I have. I'll be tempted to go, though, if there's a really good deal out there that is very little out of pocket. Don't have a lot of money to spend.
Onward!
I am not planning to do much for grocery shopping this week except for the party supplies (and milk, got to redeem the coupon for free milk that I have) but I'll probably be clipping more coupons and planning the July 8 shopping. I am going to prioritize the stockpile list by the coupons I have. I'll be tempted to go, though, if there's a really good deal out there that is very little out of pocket. Don't have a lot of money to spend.
Onward!
Monday, June 27, 2011
No coupons today
I did start to clip coupons tonight, but realized that tomorrow's TV is worth watching for me (Love America's Got Talent) so I clipped just a few of the coupons and will sort tomorrow. I am pretty sure it is time too weed some expireds out of my binder as well.
I had an itch to go buy something but didn't do it, for many reasons: 1. we didn't really need the items, 2. I'm out of double coupons for Albertsons, 3. I really don't need to spend the money even though the deal is really good (check out the Granola Thins scenario on FabulesslyFrugal.com!)
But that's not to say I didn't save big today, I did! I had a screening procedure done today. The office manager called about a week ago to let me know about my insurance benefits, which boiled down to: if they didn't find any polyps or anything that needed to be biopsied, it fell under the wellness part of my insurance and the insurance would pay the doctor's fee. If they had to do anything or biopsy anything, then it became a medical procedure and I'd end up having to pay about a grand. I don't know what the hospital charges will be, and I know there will be hospital charges. So, good news on the medical front: they didn't find anything and therefore didn't biopsy anything. However, I think that also means today's procedure doesn't count towards my deductible. Oh well.
So the last reason I did not do any couponing things today is I spent three hours at the hospital, and slept most of the afternoon.
Life is good.
I had an itch to go buy something but didn't do it, for many reasons: 1. we didn't really need the items, 2. I'm out of double coupons for Albertsons, 3. I really don't need to spend the money even though the deal is really good (check out the Granola Thins scenario on FabulesslyFrugal.com!)
But that's not to say I didn't save big today, I did! I had a screening procedure done today. The office manager called about a week ago to let me know about my insurance benefits, which boiled down to: if they didn't find any polyps or anything that needed to be biopsied, it fell under the wellness part of my insurance and the insurance would pay the doctor's fee. If they had to do anything or biopsy anything, then it became a medical procedure and I'd end up having to pay about a grand. I don't know what the hospital charges will be, and I know there will be hospital charges. So, good news on the medical front: they didn't find anything and therefore didn't biopsy anything. However, I think that also means today's procedure doesn't count towards my deductible. Oh well.
So the last reason I did not do any couponing things today is I spent three hours at the hospital, and slept most of the afternoon.
Life is good.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Made another list
I have, of course, made a list of everything I need to get in order to have a year's worth of food stockpiles, and made it into an Excel sheet that I've put into my binder. I've done my food inventory, and marked what I had.
Tonight, I made a long shopping list of what I need. I could figure it out from the list I already have, but making a list of what I need just helps me.
Some of it I'm just not sure of. I mean, 75 lbs of flour per person? Really?
Anyway, I have 126 items on my stock pile list. And as of June 25, I have a year's supply of 12 of those items. That's almost 10%. That's the beginning, of course.
And I know I haven't put some items on the list, like poptarts and chips. If worst came to worst, that will be food that we could definitely go without.
And out of the 126 items on the list, I do not have any stock of 19 of them. This is stuff that we don't use that often, like lemon juice.
I think I'm going to need to free up some space around here.
Tonight, I made a long shopping list of what I need. I could figure it out from the list I already have, but making a list of what I need just helps me.
Some of it I'm just not sure of. I mean, 75 lbs of flour per person? Really?
Anyway, I have 126 items on my stock pile list. And as of June 25, I have a year's supply of 12 of those items. That's almost 10%. That's the beginning, of course.
And I know I haven't put some items on the list, like poptarts and chips. If worst came to worst, that will be food that we could definitely go without.
And out of the 126 items on the list, I do not have any stock of 19 of them. This is stuff that we don't use that often, like lemon juice.
I think I'm going to need to free up some space around here.
The best thing I did this week
Was to find a small calculator and use it, each time, each item. I used it with great effect at Costco. I was very glad to have it at Winco and Fred Meyer. It works better for me, though, if I just add the items in and forget about the coupons.
YMMV.
YMMV.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Consistently saving about 20%
Which is good. It is. It's nowhere near the level of extreme couponing, but it's a good start. However, by September I not only need to be saving a bunch more, but I need to be spending a LOT less. And when I say a lot, I mean a minimum of 50% less. We would survive a lot better if I could cut 70% of the grocery SPENDING down.
It can be done, I know it can. If I can build the stockpile enough for a year for my family, and cut back on the amount of meat we eat, and all that....we can do it.
So, today, I went to Winco and Fred Meyer's.
I had the biggest list for Winco, with matchups from FabulesslyFrugal and a really thick envelope of coupons.
The frustrating part of this trip was a lot of the listed items weren't at the same prices listed. For instance, Nestle Tollhouse morsels were listed at $1.98 a bag just a couple of days ago. And the matchup was for the Winco I go to. But today, the morsels were $2.48. I had coupons so I went ahead and bought them because we're out. And the cereal I wanted, listed for 1.98, was also 2.48. I bought two boxes for DD because we are out of her favorite cereal, but I had coupons for 8 boxes. Some of these coupons I need to redeem soon, as they expire tomorrow or the next day. More for the doublers at Albertsons, I think. I get five Sunday papers so I'll get fifteen doublers. I think, though, that I am really close to the stockpile number for cereal. Just four more boxes and I'll have the 30 needed for a year. I need to get some more cereal for hubby, though, we're kind of lacking in what he likes.
I have enough deodorant for hubby also, and a good start on most everything else. And now I have a good start on coupons.
What will it be like, I wonder, to look at all these coupon sites and matchups and coupons and know I don't HAVE to go to the store? I just can't even imagine.
Okay, at Winco I spent $126 for a TON of food (almost needed two carts) that included a huge amount of canned things and charcoal. I had $15 in coupons, mostly 50 cents off things so they had to get someone over to override the register because I had so many coupons. But I think we have enough beans for a while :-)
At Fred Meyer, I had electronic coupons so I was really curious to see how that worked. It worked well. I bought tuna fish, paper towels, a write on calendar (which doesn't go into the grocery budget), and my best score: chubs of one pound hamburger marked down to $1.74. I haven't paid $1.74 a pound for hamburger in a long time. Those, I grabbed up, all four of them. They went right into the freezer when I got home. Here, I spent about 30 bucks and had about 7 dollars in coupons counting the electronic ones. That rocked. My other really good score: a 6 pack of Sparkle paper towels for $4.99, for which I had a $1 off ecoupon. Usually I spend $2.50 for a pack of two.
Tonight I have to finish my Albertsons list and include the last couple of things on the grocery list. I also need to go to BoiseMilk.com and see what their vegetable pack is next week. I may cancel my delivery on Thursday.
Onward!
It can be done, I know it can. If I can build the stockpile enough for a year for my family, and cut back on the amount of meat we eat, and all that....we can do it.
So, today, I went to Winco and Fred Meyer's.
I had the biggest list for Winco, with matchups from FabulesslyFrugal and a really thick envelope of coupons.
The frustrating part of this trip was a lot of the listed items weren't at the same prices listed. For instance, Nestle Tollhouse morsels were listed at $1.98 a bag just a couple of days ago. And the matchup was for the Winco I go to. But today, the morsels were $2.48. I had coupons so I went ahead and bought them because we're out. And the cereal I wanted, listed for 1.98, was also 2.48. I bought two boxes for DD because we are out of her favorite cereal, but I had coupons for 8 boxes. Some of these coupons I need to redeem soon, as they expire tomorrow or the next day. More for the doublers at Albertsons, I think. I get five Sunday papers so I'll get fifteen doublers. I think, though, that I am really close to the stockpile number for cereal. Just four more boxes and I'll have the 30 needed for a year. I need to get some more cereal for hubby, though, we're kind of lacking in what he likes.
I have enough deodorant for hubby also, and a good start on most everything else. And now I have a good start on coupons.
What will it be like, I wonder, to look at all these coupon sites and matchups and coupons and know I don't HAVE to go to the store? I just can't even imagine.
Okay, at Winco I spent $126 for a TON of food (almost needed two carts) that included a huge amount of canned things and charcoal. I had $15 in coupons, mostly 50 cents off things so they had to get someone over to override the register because I had so many coupons. But I think we have enough beans for a while :-)
At Fred Meyer, I had electronic coupons so I was really curious to see how that worked. It worked well. I bought tuna fish, paper towels, a write on calendar (which doesn't go into the grocery budget), and my best score: chubs of one pound hamburger marked down to $1.74. I haven't paid $1.74 a pound for hamburger in a long time. Those, I grabbed up, all four of them. They went right into the freezer when I got home. Here, I spent about 30 bucks and had about 7 dollars in coupons counting the electronic ones. That rocked. My other really good score: a 6 pack of Sparkle paper towels for $4.99, for which I had a $1 off ecoupon. Usually I spend $2.50 for a pack of two.
Tonight I have to finish my Albertsons list and include the last couple of things on the grocery list. I also need to go to BoiseMilk.com and see what their vegetable pack is next week. I may cancel my delivery on Thursday.
Onward!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Costco
Worked a full day today and then went to Costco with a list, and determined to stick to it. Hubby came too. We had coupons, of course, and got dog food, kitty litter, refried beans, eggs, berries, tomatoes, and hot dogs. We spent a bit less than usual, even! and we saved $30 with coupons. Usually my coupons at Costco just about cover the sales tax.
Usually we buy soda at Costco, and we did get Mountain Dew for DD. But I really think the big pop sales are going to be next week for the 4th, and we have enough for now.
DH is getting grumpy, though, with the stockpiling. We bought two huge bags of dog food, for instance, and he seemed to go along with the plan then. But when it came to putting things away, he had a meltdown. But he got over it.
And he'll had to continue to get over it, because this train is a goin'.
Usually we buy soda at Costco, and we did get Mountain Dew for DD. But I really think the big pop sales are going to be next week for the 4th, and we have enough for now.
DH is getting grumpy, though, with the stockpiling. We bought two huge bags of dog food, for instance, and he seemed to go along with the plan then. But when it came to putting things away, he had a meltdown. But he got over it.
And he'll had to continue to get over it, because this train is a goin'.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day One of Serious Couponing
Okay, I implemented part of the plan today.
First, I went to Walgreen's and returned the bath salts. Got my money back, no problems! Then I bought 4 boxes of cereal, had $1/2 coupons times two, and the $5 RR from last visit. I ended up having to buy a pack of gum because I needed five items and only had four. So for two boxes of Frosted Flakes, two boxes of Raisin Bran, and a pack of gum, I paid $2.81. Score!
Then on to Walmart. I thought Walmart would be a good place to go on Thursday. It wasn't that busy, but unfortunately there also weren't very many cashiers. I had a little trouble sticking to the list, but I have a list for each store plus one that we keep on the side of the fridge and write down items that we need as we run out (this list will likely go away). So I deviated some from the Walmart list and bought things that were on the grocery list, like frozen apple juice, and deodorant for my husband. I had about 11 items I didn't have a coupon for (frozen juice, ice cream bars, dental floss, chow mein noodles, cough drops, macaroni and cheese, copy paper, laxative, and yes, my weakness: a Cadbury bar. So I guess this is one thing I'll learn to stop doing and learn to just shop from the list for that store. However, I spent just over $71 and saved $29 because of coupons.
That was a lot of coupons. Most of them were $1 but a lot were less.
Tomorrow I go to Costco with hubby and get dog food, refried beans, catsup, Pledge, kitty litter, and jerky. Then we'll fill up my car.
Saturday I'll go to Winco with the huge list (which covers most of the grocery list as well). At some point, I'll go to Fred Meyer also, if I can. If I have to skip a store, Freddy's is the one I'm skipping. And lastly, on Sunday I go to Albertsons with DOUBLE coupons! Yay!
I do not intend to do this all the time. I've been doing the majority of our grocery shopping once a month, with little visits in between. I will probably switch to weekly visits to one grocery store, maybe two depending on the sales. I get milk and produce delivered once a week, so I can hold out on visiting the store for a bit.
I must say, though, I have made GREAT progress on the stockpile already. I have nearly all the cereal we'll need. I have almost a full year's worth of deodorant for hubby. I have three months' worth of toothpaste.
I just need to keep going.
Onward!
First, I went to Walgreen's and returned the bath salts. Got my money back, no problems! Then I bought 4 boxes of cereal, had $1/2 coupons times two, and the $5 RR from last visit. I ended up having to buy a pack of gum because I needed five items and only had four. So for two boxes of Frosted Flakes, two boxes of Raisin Bran, and a pack of gum, I paid $2.81. Score!
Then on to Walmart. I thought Walmart would be a good place to go on Thursday. It wasn't that busy, but unfortunately there also weren't very many cashiers. I had a little trouble sticking to the list, but I have a list for each store plus one that we keep on the side of the fridge and write down items that we need as we run out (this list will likely go away). So I deviated some from the Walmart list and bought things that were on the grocery list, like frozen apple juice, and deodorant for my husband. I had about 11 items I didn't have a coupon for (frozen juice, ice cream bars, dental floss, chow mein noodles, cough drops, macaroni and cheese, copy paper, laxative, and yes, my weakness: a Cadbury bar. So I guess this is one thing I'll learn to stop doing and learn to just shop from the list for that store. However, I spent just over $71 and saved $29 because of coupons.
That was a lot of coupons. Most of them were $1 but a lot were less.
Tomorrow I go to Costco with hubby and get dog food, refried beans, catsup, Pledge, kitty litter, and jerky. Then we'll fill up my car.
Saturday I'll go to Winco with the huge list (which covers most of the grocery list as well). At some point, I'll go to Fred Meyer also, if I can. If I have to skip a store, Freddy's is the one I'm skipping. And lastly, on Sunday I go to Albertsons with DOUBLE coupons! Yay!
I do not intend to do this all the time. I've been doing the majority of our grocery shopping once a month, with little visits in between. I will probably switch to weekly visits to one grocery store, maybe two depending on the sales. I get milk and produce delivered once a week, so I can hold out on visiting the store for a bit.
I must say, though, I have made GREAT progress on the stockpile already. I have nearly all the cereal we'll need. I have almost a full year's worth of deodorant for hubby. I have three months' worth of toothpaste.
I just need to keep going.
Onward!
What's the time frame?
I thought I'd document how much time I spent on coupons this week, if I could, counting trips and all.
So I'll start with Sunday. 45 minutes at Rite Aid, mostly because they hadn't labeled the new sales things so it took a while to figure out what toothpaste was on sale.
From there, I went to Walgreens for another half hour.
1.25 hours shopping.
Sorting the inserts from the paper too about fifteen minutes.
1.5 hours on Sunday.
On Monday, I sorted the inserts into piles of similar pages so I only had to clip once to get five coupons. That took about fifteen minutes. Clipping coupons took about thirty minutes. Sorting them into their proper spots in the binder took about an hour (although granted, I was watching TV as well).
Doing the food inventory on Sunday and Monday took about an hour as well. (Making the lists was last week's task and we are not going to go there!)
So 2.75 hours plus 1.5 hours, we're up to 4.25 hours.
Tuesday I printed a bunch off and clipped 'em and read websites for another hour.
Wednesday I printed lists, clipped some more internet coupons, and all that for two hours. I also organized coupons into envelopes for each store in that time, and watched America's Got Talent with my husband :-)
Actually, counting some of the time I spent on websites on Sunday and Monday, I'll add in another forty-five minutes.
So far this week, then, I've put in 8 hours into couponing.
That, of course, is not counting the hours I've spent thinking, wondering, planning, and generally obsessing over this.
That's a lot of time. I probably wouldn't spend this much time without the incentive of my husband's hours cut in the fall.
Although I could figure the time spent into the cost of couponing (and I'd have to add in the paper subscription, gas, and the FoodSaver we bought), I probably won't. Why? Because this is what I would have normally done in those 8 hours:
napped
watched TV
cleaned out a cupboard (haha!)
instead of watching TV and couponing.
It isn't like I took time off from work to do this. So I feel productive, feel like I'm doing something positive for my family, and feel hopeful that the food budget can be tamed at long last.
Onward!
So I'll start with Sunday. 45 minutes at Rite Aid, mostly because they hadn't labeled the new sales things so it took a while to figure out what toothpaste was on sale.
From there, I went to Walgreens for another half hour.
1.25 hours shopping.
Sorting the inserts from the paper too about fifteen minutes.
1.5 hours on Sunday.
On Monday, I sorted the inserts into piles of similar pages so I only had to clip once to get five coupons. That took about fifteen minutes. Clipping coupons took about thirty minutes. Sorting them into their proper spots in the binder took about an hour (although granted, I was watching TV as well).
Doing the food inventory on Sunday and Monday took about an hour as well. (Making the lists was last week's task and we are not going to go there!)
So 2.75 hours plus 1.5 hours, we're up to 4.25 hours.
Tuesday I printed a bunch off and clipped 'em and read websites for another hour.
Wednesday I printed lists, clipped some more internet coupons, and all that for two hours. I also organized coupons into envelopes for each store in that time, and watched America's Got Talent with my husband :-)
Actually, counting some of the time I spent on websites on Sunday and Monday, I'll add in another forty-five minutes.
So far this week, then, I've put in 8 hours into couponing.
That, of course, is not counting the hours I've spent thinking, wondering, planning, and generally obsessing over this.
That's a lot of time. I probably wouldn't spend this much time without the incentive of my husband's hours cut in the fall.
Although I could figure the time spent into the cost of couponing (and I'd have to add in the paper subscription, gas, and the FoodSaver we bought), I probably won't. Why? Because this is what I would have normally done in those 8 hours:
napped
watched TV
cleaned out a cupboard (haha!)
instead of watching TV and couponing.
It isn't like I took time off from work to do this. So I feel productive, feel like I'm doing something positive for my family, and feel hopeful that the food budget can be tamed at long last.
Onward!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
all my binder's packed...
Sing with me....all my binder's packed, I'm ready to go....(yes, to the tune of leaving on a jet plane).
Well, I'm not totally ready for the weekend shopping but I'm close.
I have everything ready for tomorrow's shopping at Walgreen's and Walmart. I just need to go.
I'm ready for Friday's Costco excursion.
I'm pretty much ready for Saturday's Winco.
The coupons are all sorted into envelopes. I just need to find the el cheapo calculator with the nice big buttons. I have not been paying much attention to the amount of money I'm spending as I learned the couponing/stockpiling thing. That has to change, of course, but my mind is simple and just now ready to add another concept.
I do kind of need to clean the fridge, but I truly think it just needs some wiping of shelves.
Tomorrow after dinner...I go!
Well, I'm not totally ready for the weekend shopping but I'm close.
I have everything ready for tomorrow's shopping at Walgreen's and Walmart. I just need to go.
I'm ready for Friday's Costco excursion.
I'm pretty much ready for Saturday's Winco.
The coupons are all sorted into envelopes. I just need to find the el cheapo calculator with the nice big buttons. I have not been paying much attention to the amount of money I'm spending as I learned the couponing/stockpiling thing. That has to change, of course, but my mind is simple and just now ready to add another concept.
I do kind of need to clean the fridge, but I truly think it just needs some wiping of shelves.
Tomorrow after dinner...I go!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
I SWORE I wasn't going to....
Print, clip, or think about coupons today.
WRONG!
Good grief, I am so obsessed.
As an aside, I am going to return the bath salts that I feel I was overcharged for. That's an easy fix. It'll be especially easy because Walgreen's is practically on every corner!
So, I got a hold of a nice long list of things at Walmart that, with coupons, are under a buck (Thanks again, FabulesslyFrugal.com!). And in looking at the list, which was way easy to edit for my needs, I realized that I a)have room and b)have need for nearly all the products. And I have coupons. So I'm going out Thursday evening (payday Friday dontcha know) and getting a nice long list of things. Beans, instant potatoes, the like. I figure I'll spend around 20 or 25 bucks as long as I stick to the list.
As I go to the closest Walmart, I'll actually pass a Walgreen's. So I'll return the bath salts, and pick up more cereal (Kellogg's). I have a bunch of coupons for $1/2. They expire Saturday, but what will make this deal really sweet is the register reward coupon I got last time. So I'll get 4 boxes of cereal for 1.99 each, get $2 off with coupons, maybe get some toothpaste, and use my $5 off coupon. That should be just right.
Oh yeah, I could possibly get 4 boxes of cereal for $1. How sweet would that be!
Friday we'll go to Costco. Saturday I'll go to Winco, and Sunday Albertsons (hoping for double coupons!) It is so weird, though, shifting the way I think about food. Thinking long term helps a lot. It's an amazing process. And I'm learning a lot. And even my family is involved. My daughter's on a school trip and told me that when they went to Walmart, she was checking the prices and found a coupon. How awesome is that?
WRONG!
Good grief, I am so obsessed.
As an aside, I am going to return the bath salts that I feel I was overcharged for. That's an easy fix. It'll be especially easy because Walgreen's is practically on every corner!
So, I got a hold of a nice long list of things at Walmart that, with coupons, are under a buck (Thanks again, FabulesslyFrugal.com!). And in looking at the list, which was way easy to edit for my needs, I realized that I a)have room and b)have need for nearly all the products. And I have coupons. So I'm going out Thursday evening (payday Friday dontcha know) and getting a nice long list of things. Beans, instant potatoes, the like. I figure I'll spend around 20 or 25 bucks as long as I stick to the list.
As I go to the closest Walmart, I'll actually pass a Walgreen's. So I'll return the bath salts, and pick up more cereal (Kellogg's). I have a bunch of coupons for $1/2. They expire Saturday, but what will make this deal really sweet is the register reward coupon I got last time. So I'll get 4 boxes of cereal for 1.99 each, get $2 off with coupons, maybe get some toothpaste, and use my $5 off coupon. That should be just right.
Oh yeah, I could possibly get 4 boxes of cereal for $1. How sweet would that be!
Friday we'll go to Costco. Saturday I'll go to Winco, and Sunday Albertsons (hoping for double coupons!) It is so weird, though, shifting the way I think about food. Thinking long term helps a lot. It's an amazing process. And I'm learning a lot. And even my family is involved. My daughter's on a school trip and told me that when they went to Walmart, she was checking the prices and found a coupon. How awesome is that?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Getting ready for the next shopping trip
Which will be Friday and Saturday. I can't wait to see what's on sale!
I have all the latest coupons clipped and no plans to clip any more for a bit, nor do I want to print any more. The coupons are all organized.
I've done the inventory.
I've started reorganizing the shelves in the garage where some of our things are now stored. I've put bath tissue and Kleenex on one shelf, and that's as far as I got. I had my husband take a bunch of heavy stuff down so I can declutter some. That will be tomorrow. I will put a bunch of our cereals in a bin to make sure they stay mouse free. I'm pretty sure they are now, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.
So. Inventory done. I have made next month's menu. That was easy. I just copied this month's because I have absolutely no inspiration whatsoever. And I really don't think my family will notice or care. It's all stuff we like. Which is what it's all about, isn't it?
My shopping list is started. I put one up as soon as I use one. It will be nice to change this, though.
It's been a long day and I'm heading to bed. The house is strangely empty with my younger child gone for the week.
I have all the latest coupons clipped and no plans to clip any more for a bit, nor do I want to print any more. The coupons are all organized.
I've done the inventory.
I've started reorganizing the shelves in the garage where some of our things are now stored. I've put bath tissue and Kleenex on one shelf, and that's as far as I got. I had my husband take a bunch of heavy stuff down so I can declutter some. That will be tomorrow. I will put a bunch of our cereals in a bin to make sure they stay mouse free. I'm pretty sure they are now, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.
So. Inventory done. I have made next month's menu. That was easy. I just copied this month's because I have absolutely no inspiration whatsoever. And I really don't think my family will notice or care. It's all stuff we like. Which is what it's all about, isn't it?
My shopping list is started. I put one up as soon as I use one. It will be nice to change this, though.
It's been a long day and I'm heading to bed. The house is strangely empty with my younger child gone for the week.
Intimidated by the Pile!
So, I signed up for FabulesslyFrugal's awesome newspaper deal. I'm getting the daily paper plus 5 Sunday papers for $3.25 a month a week. Considering that the Sunday paper is $2 and the daily is 50 cents, that's a heck of a deal.
But the pile of newspapers! It is totally intimidating! We all got to read our own copy of the funnies, which was cool. DH got to go through his ads at his own pace, which was cool. I sorted out my ads, which I then left on the table (and I went shopping, but next time I'll go I'll bring a copy of the ad because I ended up with questions and spent a lot more time than I needed to at Rite Aid).
But eventually I had to face things, and sorted out the inserts. Even just five inserts is an intimidating pile.
I did not, therefore, clip coupons yesterday. I did sort the pages so I can clip five coupons at a time. I figured I'd plug in a Netflix disc tonight and clip away.
However, I'm starting to rethink this. I found this idea on the FabulesslyFrugal website: no clip coupons! Just print the list they provide for your area, and clip the coupon when you need it! What a great concept. Find the lists and things here.
The absolute best thing about FabulesslyFrugal.com? It's all free. They post all the local sales and these lists and have a coupon database and good articles, and it's all free.
Go on and check it out. Tell them I sent ya :-)
But the pile of newspapers! It is totally intimidating! We all got to read our own copy of the funnies, which was cool. DH got to go through his ads at his own pace, which was cool. I sorted out my ads, which I then left on the table (and I went shopping, but next time I'll go I'll bring a copy of the ad because I ended up with questions and spent a lot more time than I needed to at Rite Aid).
But eventually I had to face things, and sorted out the inserts. Even just five inserts is an intimidating pile.
I did not, therefore, clip coupons yesterday. I did sort the pages so I can clip five coupons at a time. I figured I'd plug in a Netflix disc tonight and clip away.
However, I'm starting to rethink this. I found this idea on the FabulesslyFrugal website: no clip coupons! Just print the list they provide for your area, and clip the coupon when you need it! What a great concept. Find the lists and things here.
The absolute best thing about FabulesslyFrugal.com? It's all free. They post all the local sales and these lists and have a coupon database and good articles, and it's all free.
Go on and check it out. Tell them I sent ya :-)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Coupon Fail: Walgreens
All righty, the lawn is mowed and tomato plants planted, and it is time to report on what I consider today's coupon failure.
On the Walgreen's list:
The Gatorade series: Prime, Perform, and Recover. On sale for $5 for the three things. $5 rebate printed out at the register, just have to fill it out and mail it in.
Suave body lotion and body wash: buy $10 worth of Suave and get $3 register rewards.
I had two coupons for $1 off, but the coupon I needed to really make this deal work was the B1G1 free coupon from May which is before I started couponing. I could only figure out how to pay $8 to get $3 back, which I really didn't want to do.
But what really made this a FAIL is that I could not find the body wash. Found the lotion. Couldn't find a clerk to help.
Kellogg's cereal, $1.99. This wasn't so bad. I bought two boxes of Frosted Flakes, which DD loves, and two boxes of Raisin Bran which DH loves. I had a coupon for $1/2 for the FF and two coupons for 70 cents off the Raisin Bran. So I paid $1.49 each for the FF and $1.29 for the Raisin Bran. Which works because it's stuff my family will eat. What makes this feel like a FAIL is Albertsons frequently has sales on cereal that are better than this.
Dr. Teal's lavender epsom salts. I love this, and it was marked clearance for $1.99. However, it's a fail because I was charged 5.99 and didn't notice. That seems to be a cardinal rule, pay attention at the check out! I am undecided what to do about this.
Gilette Fusion power razor. On sale for $9.89, and I had the $4 coupon. Got a coupon for $5 off my next shopping trip at Walgreens. Not a bad price.
Did not get the Aquafresh toothpaste here, couldn't find that coupon.
Also had to buy Gatorade for next week's prep session and knee hi'a for daughter, so all in all I spent $38 and got $6 off in coupons, with $10 more in savings coming to me.
Now, for the stock pile, I have five tubes of toothpaste and my goal is 18. I think I'll hold off on buying more toothpaste until my coupon pile is a little bigger :-) because it really rocked to get stuff for FREE.
My cereal stock pile goal is 10 boxes per person for a year's worth. As of today, I have 17 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, and Frosted Flakes. 13 more boxes completes the stockpile, and again I can wait for a really good sale.
I am also pretty much ready for next Sunday's clear liquid diet/scope prep. I have Miralax and Gatorade (in flavors that I'll actually drink) and will be ready. Dreading it, but ready.
On the Walgreen's list:
The Gatorade series: Prime, Perform, and Recover. On sale for $5 for the three things. $5 rebate printed out at the register, just have to fill it out and mail it in.
Suave body lotion and body wash: buy $10 worth of Suave and get $3 register rewards.
I had two coupons for $1 off, but the coupon I needed to really make this deal work was the B1G1 free coupon from May which is before I started couponing. I could only figure out how to pay $8 to get $3 back, which I really didn't want to do.
But what really made this a FAIL is that I could not find the body wash. Found the lotion. Couldn't find a clerk to help.
Kellogg's cereal, $1.99. This wasn't so bad. I bought two boxes of Frosted Flakes, which DD loves, and two boxes of Raisin Bran which DH loves. I had a coupon for $1/2 for the FF and two coupons for 70 cents off the Raisin Bran. So I paid $1.49 each for the FF and $1.29 for the Raisin Bran. Which works because it's stuff my family will eat. What makes this feel like a FAIL is Albertsons frequently has sales on cereal that are better than this.
Dr. Teal's lavender epsom salts. I love this, and it was marked clearance for $1.99. However, it's a fail because I was charged 5.99 and didn't notice. That seems to be a cardinal rule, pay attention at the check out! I am undecided what to do about this.
Gilette Fusion power razor. On sale for $9.89, and I had the $4 coupon. Got a coupon for $5 off my next shopping trip at Walgreens. Not a bad price.
Did not get the Aquafresh toothpaste here, couldn't find that coupon.
Also had to buy Gatorade for next week's prep session and knee hi'a for daughter, so all in all I spent $38 and got $6 off in coupons, with $10 more in savings coming to me.
Now, for the stock pile, I have five tubes of toothpaste and my goal is 18. I think I'll hold off on buying more toothpaste until my coupon pile is a little bigger :-) because it really rocked to get stuff for FREE.
My cereal stock pile goal is 10 boxes per person for a year's worth. As of today, I have 17 boxes of Frosted Mini Wheats, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, and Frosted Flakes. 13 more boxes completes the stockpile, and again I can wait for a really good sale.
I am also pretty much ready for next Sunday's clear liquid diet/scope prep. I have Miralax and Gatorade (in flavors that I'll actually drink) and will be ready. Dreading it, but ready.
Couponing Success: Rite Aid
Today I have a coupon fail and a coupon success. I'll be reporting on my success first.
One other thing that I've noticed that's really pissing me off: when you read all the scenarios for getting all this good stuff for free, am I the only one who doesn't realize that you still have to go out of pocket for things up front? Or I didn't, anyway.
Probably due to my inexperience.
So when I report my Rite Aid success, I will disclose right up front: I had $11 in their +Up rewards from a previous visit to Rite Aid (where I learned that you still have to pay for things first THEN get the coupon for your NEXT visit). The $11 went a LONG way toward my success today.
So here's what I got:
4 boxes of Colgate toothpaste, on sale for $2.99 each. I had one lonely coupon for 75 cents off (one fail here: I had three coupons for $1 off but for Colgate TOTAL only. Phooey).
I bought two boxes of 36 count St. Joseph's aspirin for $1.50 each and two packs of Stride gum for $2 ($1 each).
I bought one box of Zantac cool mint tabs, 24 count, for $7.99.
And I bought one of their vegetable plants, a jalapeno, for half off and paid $2.15.
So with tax, it was $28.73.
I had a $5 coupon for the Zantac and a $2 Rite Aid coupon from their Video Values.
I had a 50 cent off coupon from Rite Aid for the gum.
I used the 75 cent off coupon for the toothpaste.
And I used a $10 +up and a $1 +up coupon, so I paid $9.48 out of pocket.
Yep, that's about 67% off. That made me happy.
But wait, there's more! Since I used my wellness reward card, I also got the following +Up rewards:
2.99 off next purchase times four for the toothpaste
1.50 off next purchase times two for the aspirin
$2 off next purchase for the Zantac
and $1 off next purchase for the gum.
so I have $17.96 worth of coupons for the next shopping trip to Rite Aid. So this is why it can be said that I made money on this purchase.
I'm really excited because I have a daughter who's going on a trip tomorrow and she needs some make up! I'll be referring her to Rite Aid for sure.
One other thing that I've noticed that's really pissing me off: when you read all the scenarios for getting all this good stuff for free, am I the only one who doesn't realize that you still have to go out of pocket for things up front? Or I didn't, anyway.
Probably due to my inexperience.
So when I report my Rite Aid success, I will disclose right up front: I had $11 in their +Up rewards from a previous visit to Rite Aid (where I learned that you still have to pay for things first THEN get the coupon for your NEXT visit). The $11 went a LONG way toward my success today.
So here's what I got:
4 boxes of Colgate toothpaste, on sale for $2.99 each. I had one lonely coupon for 75 cents off (one fail here: I had three coupons for $1 off but for Colgate TOTAL only. Phooey).
I bought two boxes of 36 count St. Joseph's aspirin for $1.50 each and two packs of Stride gum for $2 ($1 each).
I bought one box of Zantac cool mint tabs, 24 count, for $7.99.
And I bought one of their vegetable plants, a jalapeno, for half off and paid $2.15.
So with tax, it was $28.73.
I had a $5 coupon for the Zantac and a $2 Rite Aid coupon from their Video Values.
I had a 50 cent off coupon from Rite Aid for the gum.
I used the 75 cent off coupon for the toothpaste.
And I used a $10 +up and a $1 +up coupon, so I paid $9.48 out of pocket.
Yep, that's about 67% off. That made me happy.
But wait, there's more! Since I used my wellness reward card, I also got the following +Up rewards:
2.99 off next purchase times four for the toothpaste
1.50 off next purchase times two for the aspirin
$2 off next purchase for the Zantac
and $1 off next purchase for the gum.
so I have $17.96 worth of coupons for the next shopping trip to Rite Aid. So this is why it can be said that I made money on this purchase.
I'm really excited because I have a daughter who's going on a trip tomorrow and she needs some make up! I'll be referring her to Rite Aid for sure.
Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV)
I say that now because I am going to post my food storage inventory list. When I was a runner, we used YMMV a lot. It just means things are likely to work differently for you.
This is a preliminary list. It's in Excel so I'm not sure how it'll translate to this webpage, but I don't seem to be able to put a link to it. Sigh.
In fact, it doesn't translate at all. So I'll just type some of it out. Based on some of the reading I've been doing (and it really helps that I live in an area with a large LDS population, they are totally into the year food storage thing), and knowing what our family likes to eat, I am aiming for an inventory that will include:
40 lbs of rice per person
25 lbs of flour per person
1 lb of cornstarch per person
10 boxes of cereal per person
5 lbs of cornmeal per person
10 boxes of deluxe macaroni and cheese per person (who eats it, DH won't)
15 boxes of regular macaroni and cheese per person
20 packages of Top Ramen per person
6 boxes of lasagna per person
5 lbs of other types of pasta, per person
10 lbs of spaghetti per person
10 lbs of penne per person
10 lbs of elbow macaroni per person
10 lbs pancake mix per person
35 lbs of white sugar per person
6 lbs of brown sugar per person
10 cans of refried beans per person
1 10# can of powdered eggs
14 lbs of powdered milk per family
2 lbs of cocoa mix per person
and it goes on and on. I'd be happy to share the complete list, just let me know if you're interested. Perhaps I will figure out how to link it some day
This is a preliminary list. It's in Excel so I'm not sure how it'll translate to this webpage, but I don't seem to be able to put a link to it. Sigh.
In fact, it doesn't translate at all. So I'll just type some of it out. Based on some of the reading I've been doing (and it really helps that I live in an area with a large LDS population, they are totally into the year food storage thing), and knowing what our family likes to eat, I am aiming for an inventory that will include:
40 lbs of rice per person
25 lbs of flour per person
1 lb of cornstarch per person
10 boxes of cereal per person
5 lbs of cornmeal per person
10 boxes of deluxe macaroni and cheese per person (who eats it, DH won't)
15 boxes of regular macaroni and cheese per person
20 packages of Top Ramen per person
6 boxes of lasagna per person
5 lbs of other types of pasta, per person
10 lbs of spaghetti per person
10 lbs of penne per person
10 lbs of elbow macaroni per person
10 lbs pancake mix per person
35 lbs of white sugar per person
6 lbs of brown sugar per person
10 cans of refried beans per person
1 10# can of powdered eggs
14 lbs of powdered milk per family
2 lbs of cocoa mix per person
and it goes on and on. I'd be happy to share the complete list, just let me know if you're interested. Perhaps I will figure out how to link it some day
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Off I go into Frugal Land!
Well, Off I go into the wild blue yonder.
I have been thinking about this for a long time, actually. But starting in the fall, my teacher husband will be Reduced in Force. So much for just letting attrition take care of things, Mr. State Liar Superintendent.
Anyway, we have been a double income for a few years and have really gotten used to it. For the most part, we've done good things with two incomes, bought a car in 2008 that was a year old (so we have just under two years left to pay it off, then we'll need to replace our 20 year old Jeep that has nearly 200,000 miles on it). We ran up a lot of credit card debt in our younger, wilder, stupider years and have almost all of it paid off. We owe money for medical bills. We spend far too much money on food.
So, given everything that I've learned, the place we'll cut down the most is on the food budget. I have started to clip coupons and have a modest pile of them all filed in a nice big binder. I have signed up for the local paper, getting a fabulous deal (thanks to the ladies at Fabulessly Frugal, www.fabulesslyfrugal.com). I'll get the daily paper and 5 Sunday papers.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about a food inventory list and have a modest one started. I am sure as I learn more that it will change and grow as well.
The goal is to amass a stockpile that will feed my family for a year. And then I want to take the money I would spend on food and use it to pay off debt, get my daughter the things she needs for her final year in high school, go out to eat once in a while, and maybe get DD a car at some point. Oh, yes, and also survive DH's pay cut. And buy Christmas presents this year.
So I'll talk about my couponing here, and other measures I will use. While I'm not perfect, I do know most of the things we're doing will work for our family. I simply ask my readers, if there are any, to offer advice gently and not judge us for the mistakes we'll likely make.
In addition to couponing and things, we are cutting out our home phone, as it just seems to be the main number telemarketers call any more. We're switching our internet and satellite TV to a different provider and it'll be cheaper for the next year. This summer, we used some of our savings and bought a new fridge which will help us save energy and some on our power bill. Our water bill's going down, and we can remove one car from our insurance because our older child has sold his old car.
It's going to be a ride.
I have been thinking about this for a long time, actually. But starting in the fall, my teacher husband will be Reduced in Force. So much for just letting attrition take care of things, Mr. State Liar Superintendent.
Anyway, we have been a double income for a few years and have really gotten used to it. For the most part, we've done good things with two incomes, bought a car in 2008 that was a year old (so we have just under two years left to pay it off, then we'll need to replace our 20 year old Jeep that has nearly 200,000 miles on it). We ran up a lot of credit card debt in our younger, wilder, stupider years and have almost all of it paid off. We owe money for medical bills. We spend far too much money on food.
So, given everything that I've learned, the place we'll cut down the most is on the food budget. I have started to clip coupons and have a modest pile of them all filed in a nice big binder. I have signed up for the local paper, getting a fabulous deal (thanks to the ladies at Fabulessly Frugal, www.fabulesslyfrugal.com). I'll get the daily paper and 5 Sunday papers.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about a food inventory list and have a modest one started. I am sure as I learn more that it will change and grow as well.
The goal is to amass a stockpile that will feed my family for a year. And then I want to take the money I would spend on food and use it to pay off debt, get my daughter the things she needs for her final year in high school, go out to eat once in a while, and maybe get DD a car at some point. Oh, yes, and also survive DH's pay cut. And buy Christmas presents this year.
So I'll talk about my couponing here, and other measures I will use. While I'm not perfect, I do know most of the things we're doing will work for our family. I simply ask my readers, if there are any, to offer advice gently and not judge us for the mistakes we'll likely make.
In addition to couponing and things, we are cutting out our home phone, as it just seems to be the main number telemarketers call any more. We're switching our internet and satellite TV to a different provider and it'll be cheaper for the next year. This summer, we used some of our savings and bought a new fridge which will help us save energy and some on our power bill. Our water bill's going down, and we can remove one car from our insurance because our older child has sold his old car.
It's going to be a ride.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)