Walgreens - $9.62

Three transactions at Walgreens:

2 Angel Soft 4.99 sale
3 Softsoap body wash 3.99 sale
2 Huggies wipes 2.99
1 Garnier Hairspray 3.99
1 W Diapers 2.79 clearance
1 Hair clip .20 clearance
25 pictures .25 sale

$35.16 + 2.46 tax = $37.62 Total
-4.00 Huggies Walgreens Coupon
-1.00 Garnier coupon
-4.00 RR
-4.00 RR
-4.00 RR
-5.00 RR
-6.00 RR
$9.62 PAID = 26%

and got new RR's for $2, $4, $4, $4 = $14

School Started Today

Here are my two oldest right before they left the house this morning. They both came home in good moods and said their first day went really well. Of course they were most thrilled to see all their friends again. They both sat down and did their homework right away when they got home and then had a snack because they were starving. It is nice to have them back in a routine again after their lax summer.

Our first Tomatoes!

Last night I was able to pick our first two ripe tomatoes!
I bet we have about 100 green ones but these two were ripe. I hope that a bunch of them will be ripe by this weekend so I can start making salsa. The plan is to can enough salsa to get John through a whole year. He really likes hot salsa and eats it alot. So I planted tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, habanero peppers, and onions this year. The total costs for plants and two bags of potting soil was $8.06 and I already had jars for canning so we will see how much I can get made for that.

Fareway $33.99

2 Chips
Cheese curls
2 Dole salad
Bean w/Bacon soup
2 Cottage Cheese
2 Ground chuck
Enchiladas
2 Shredded cheese
2 Bacon 1.68 sale
3 Coke 2ltr .99 sale
Margarine
Shredded hashbrowns

$33.99 Total

Garage Sale Clothes $7.75

Yesterday we were on our way out of town to go to John's company picnic about an hour away. Just as we were leaving town we saw a Garage Sale sign that said boy's clothes on it, so we stopped. Cole still needs clothes for school and play clothes too as he grows so fast.

We got all this for $7.75
Polo Jeans
Nike windbreaker pants
Starter windbreaker pants
4 Character T-shirts
All but the Nike pants were in great shape and can be worn to school. Wow, was I glad we stopped.

My Two Girls

I was snapping pictures the other day of everyone throughout the day. Now I am editing and uploading some of them to get them printed. And I just couldn't resist sharing this one with everyone.

Fareway $52.88

OMG another grocery trip with John (the man that doesn't get the saving money mentality) so we end up spending more than if he would just let me go by myself.

I know everthing is crunched in the photo and it is difficult to see so I will list it with some of the details.

4 Coke 2ltr .99 sale
2 Milk 2.29
2 chips
1 jar Dole fruit
4 cans fruit
1 rice
grapes .99/lb sale
2 cantalopes 2/$4
1 Dole premixed sale .99 sale
2 dressings 1.25 sale
2 taco sauce
2 mac & cheese
1 wonderbread
1 ketchup
2 cottage cheese
2 dips
3 baby food .69 ea used .75/3q
2 ragu sauce 1.48 ea sale used 1.00/2q
2 pasta
1 buns
1 farmland sausage links .99sale used 1.00q
1 little debbies

$55.63 - 2.75q = $52.88

Walgreens - Spent $2.63

Ok, I haven't been to Walgreens for awhile, but I had two RR's that would expire tomorrow so I stopped by today for some deals. I found a tri-fold "Back 2 School Coupon Book" beside the ads at the store with 28 different coupons in it. The one that I was excited about was $2 off Huggies wipes. So today's trip was:

3 Listerine 3/$9 sale
5 Huggies Wipes 2.99 regular price - $2 store coupon

$23.95 + 1.68 tax = $25.63 TOTAL
minus $10 Huggies coupon, $10RR, $3RR = $2.63 paid = 10%
and rec'd a new $6 RR

I was very happy to get wipes for .99 today, however, there are .50 Huggies wipe coupons coming up in this weekends inserts. I plan on trading for some of those and going back to get wipes for .49 each!

Family Movie Night

One of the things we do for entertainment is to have a Family Movie Night in. It is affordable for us and easy to do with a baby. We pick a movie that the whole family can enjoy and rent it from Redbox or watch one we already have.

If you aren't familar with Redbox, you need to check it out at Redbox.com. You can rent movies for $1 a night. And they periodically put out free codes. You get the movie out of a vending machine which my kids think is really cool and fun. So after we decided on a movie yesterday, I reserved it online and John picked it up when he was out.

Then we made pizzas. We all love pizza and the kids really like to help make them. So instead of ordering two pizzas and have them delivered for $30, we can make two exactly the way we like them for $10.50!

I also like to let the kids pick a snack for the second half of the movie. They usually pick ice cream, popsicles, popcorn, cheesy popcorn or cookies. This time they picked ice cream, which for all of us cost less than $1.50

So, for our family movie night in:
Pizza 10.50
Ice Cream 1.50
Movie 1.00
$13.00

I would say that's a pretty cheap meal & movie! And let me tell you, the kids look forward to this all week.

HyVee & Staples

Today I quickly ran out to Hy-Vee to restock on a few things after our Family Movie Night last night that I will post about later, and to get a few of the deals at Staples.

Spaghetti
4 cans fruit (little cans for John's lunchbox)
rice
4 pizza crust
pizza sauce
2 cans mushrooms
can olives
Kraft buttermilk ranch 1.50 sale
3 1.75qt Ice cream 1.38 sale
Cheddar cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Coke 2ltr
2 lbs 85% ground beef 1.99 sale

Total $29.40





Staples
2 500 sh paper 4.99 ea
6 one subject notebooks .01 ea sale

$10.04 + .70 tax = $10.74
will get $7.98 rebate back
net Total $2.76 is 26%

Fareway $73.89

Well I planned to go to Fareway to get John a steak and some deals. However, he wanted to go along and then we always spend quite a bit more money because he doesn't care if things are on sale or not, if he wants it he buys it. Ugh, so here is our over budget trip.

2 potato chips .99 ea
3 fruit snacks 3/$5 used .50q
1 cheesy popcorn 1.39
1 milk 2.29
2 farmland links .99 ea sale used 1.00qs
1 hashbrowns 2.19
4 whole chicken breasts $7.82
2 T-bone steaks 10.58
dried beef 4.07
4 cans fruit 5.66
ranch .99
2 HF smoked sausage ropes 2.50ea sale
OM Salami 1.89
4 Bar S Jumbo hot dogs .88ea sale
3 pudding cups .69 ea sale
Wonderbread 1.48sale
sugar 4lb. 1.68 sale
macaroni 1.99
snacks 1.69
snacks 2.99
3 gerber baby food .69 ea used .75q
8 Coke 2ltr .89 ea sale

$77.14 Total
used 3.25 coupons = $73.89 paid.

Saving on Band Instrument Accessories

My oldest daughter brought home a paper about band night for fourth graders back in May. So we went and she decided she wanted to play the clarinet. So I signed her up and we talked to the music store rep and picked out a nice instrument and signed up for the lease to own program.

So lessons started two weeks ago. And everything is going great, she is learning and practicing every day and she is very excited about it all. So the other day she cracked her reed. No problem I understand all about that I played saxophone for eight years in school. And the clarinet came with three reeds so she still was in business.

Yesterday the teacher sends home a note with all the students that they will need to buy a $20 punch card when school starts to cover reed costs and other misc. expenses. So I told my daughter to ask how much reeds costs so I can kind of plan for that expense. She told me they are $2.50 each. I was surprised that a little piece of wood would be that much. So I thought I would check around on prices. So I called the music store. Their reeds are $2.50 each also but if you buy 4, you get the fifth free. So that basically puts the price at $2.00 each as long as you buy in multiples of five. So, I told my daughter next time I went to Dollar Tree or Hobby Lobby (which are right beside the music store) I would stop in and get her five or ten. I thought that was the end of that.

Well just a little bit ago I decided to search online for this specific reed and see if this was pretty much the going rate? Well, guess what I found. I can get the exact same Rico reeds that the school and music store have, but for a much better price. I purchased a ten pack from Amazon for $12.25 with free shipping!!!! $1.23 per reed. I am tickled pink.

Obviously the moral of this kind of long story is, just because it's only $2.50 per piece and it's what everyone else is doing, doesn't mean you should do it. I just saved $12.75 on ten reeds which she will easily go through this year and I didn't even leave the comfort of my easy chair. And all of those little savings add up!

Unilever Printable Coupons

http://print.coupons.com/Couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=14696&nid=20&zid=nh28

They currently are offering coupons for Ragu, Lipton, Hellmann's, and ICBINB.

Walgreens has extended their $5/25 coupon

If you didn't get to Walgreens to use the $5 off $25 coupon yesterday or today or if you did get there but would like to go again, fear not. Walgreens has exteneded the coupon through Saturday August 8th. Just go to Walgreens.com and print off a new coupon with the new dates.

Walgreens $5/25 Coupon

If you plan on shopping at Walgreens today or tomorrow make sure you go to Walgreens.com and print off the $5 off $25 purchase coupon. Also, make sure you read the fine print and follow all the rules. I guess you know where I will be going. LOL

Honda Sweepstakes

The Honda Clearance is a great time to get a terrific offer on a new Honda. Plus, you can enter for a chance to win the $5,000 sweepstakes grand prize!

After you register, play for a chance to instantly win a $50 pre-paid debit card awarded four times a day. Register now for up to 5 chances to win throughout the promotion!

http://automobiles.honda.com/honda-clearance/

Hallmark Back to School Sweepstakes

Enter the Hallmark Channel Back to School sweepstakes for a chance to win a fun prize pack including a laptop, shopping spree and more! One entry per day.

http://site4test.hallmarkchannel.com/Programm/Default_CustomPage.aspx?Simscode=CustomCode_74BB1C81E&ID=31

*HOT* NEW* printable coupon

Go here to print off a $2 coupon off Healthy Choice frozen meals or Fresh Mixers.

http://www.healthychoice.com/news-offers/olb_coupon.jsp?WT.mc_id=HC_0709_SM_1&WT.mc_ev=click

Don't forget after your first coupon prints, use your browser's back button to print another one.
This should make it really cheap or even free at alot of stores.

Aldi - $ 37.42

I go to Aldi's usually about once a month and get canned soup, milk, sometimes fruit, and anything else I can find cheaper than my other stores.

2 Milk $2.04
Cantaloupe .99
2 Ground beef 85% 2.49
Sour cream .89
12 cream soups .59
vinegar .79
3 beef sticks 2.69
cooking spray 1.29
baking soda .49
crushed red peppers 1.09
granola bars 1.79
fruit snacks 32pk 3.99
cookie cereal 1.89

$37.42

HyVee - $23.44

2 Wonderbread $1.48 ea
Oreos 2.50 sale
4 PB & Fudge cookies 1.00 sale
5 Baby food .72 ea
1 Baby food .50
Choc. drink mix 2.94
Similac formula 11.99

$28.49
minus $5 formula check .05 sack refund = $23.44

Menards - cheap school supplies

My school supply list was almost complete except for backpacks and erasers. So with this stop at Menards this morning my list is now complete.

6 Backpacks $5.99 - get $5 back on each
2 3 Subject notebooks $1.49 - get $1 back on each
2 2pk Erasers .89 - get .70 back on each
4 30 pk pencil top erasers .89 - get .70 back on each

$44.26 + 3.10 tax = $47.36
used previous $20rebate = 27.36 paid
and will get $36.20 rebate
so this all cost me $11.16 24%

Walgreens - $15.72

Here is my purchases at Walgreens yesterday (2 transactions):

Conair Cool Grips Hairdryer $14.99 sale
4 Listerine Total Care 2/$8 sale used $2qs
2 Garnier shampoo & conditioner $3.34 sale used $1qs
Pencil case 0.39 sale

$38.06 + 2.66 tax = $40.72 Total
used $10 coupons & $5 RR & $10 RR = $15.72 = 39 %
and got new $20RR's

Soy Crisps - Sensible Portions

Go here to request a free sample of Sensible Portions.
http://www.soycrisps.com/sample.html

Get an Alice

I am very new to this site, however it seems pretty cool.
What it is: an online service to buy household essentials (stuff like trash bags, dish soap, and toilet paper) and avoid the chore of running to the store for these goods. It saves lots of time and everything is shipped to your door free. They even have some manufacturer coupons on their site you can get applied to your order. I have found two deals that I have gotten so far, but saving money to me is more important than saving time right now anyways, so I will only be taking advantage of the deals.

If you are interested, click on the link above to sign up, and you’ll get a $10 credit in your account after you spend at least $50 on the site. And if you choose to use this let me know what you think and if you score some good deals.

iRobot Dirt Dog

I finally ordered a Dirt Dog.
I am so excited, I can't wait for it to get here, I have wanted one for several months now. Since shortly after we moved into this house late last year. We have beautiful old wood floors thoughout almost all of the house and I love them. But I don't always have the time to clean them every day and with a baby crawling around it needs to be done everyday. So I am hoping this will be my answer. I can turn it on when we leave for the day and come home to sweept floors.
I really hope this will live up to my expectations.
Check it out for yourself, at Amazon.

Cash for Clunkers - NOT - what a Joke!

Ok, we were pretty excited to hear about the government's new Cash for Clunkers program because John really dislikes his old work car and if we could find a great deal on something new for him that would be awesome. So I said it would have to be a great deal because although he is on overtime now we know that will not continue. So he went to several dealerships and was working several different deals. Well he got a really good deal worked out on a new Toyota that we really liked and get this with dealership incentives and the $4500 clunker thing he could get the new car for $189 a month! And with the increased gas mileage we figured it would save $95 a month in gas - that's half the payment.
So the dealership finally got the final details and his old 1992 car with 150,000 miles on it does not qualify! Apparently when new it got 20 mpg and because of that it does not qualify. I just want to say HELLO do you think anything on a 1992 car is the same as it is new? If it's not a clunker what is?
Well here comes the answer to that. My 2000 SUV qualifies as a clunker. It has 50,000 miles on it, is in excellent shape, gets better gas mileage than John's car, and has a blue book value over $6000 but it is considered a clunker and I should trade it in for $4500 and have it crushed and sent to the junkyard. WHAT in the world? The people that wrote this bill are crazy. This lower income hard working family can't afford to use this program.

Walgreens - $3.25

You know it's hard for me not to stop into Walgreens on the way to work, LOL, so here is what I got today:

2 Listerine Total Care 2/$8 sale used $2qs
Garnier 3 min treatment 3.99 used $1 q
Pencil box .39 sale

$12.38 + .87 tax = 13.25
used $5 qs & $5RR= $3.25 paid = 25%
and got new $3 & $2 RR's

Fareway - $6.31

We needed milk so I ran into Fareway on my way home today:

Milk $2.29
Coke 2ltr $1
2 Chips 0.99 ea
Ranch dressing .99

Total $6.31

Walgreens $1.26

Went into Walgreens quick today to get this:

2 Listerine Total Care 2/$8 sale
3 Filler paper 130sh 3/$1.59

$9.59 + .67 tax = $10.26 total
minus 2 $2 listerine qs and a previous $5 RR
I paid $1.26 which is 12%
and I got a new $3 RR

Shopko $1.77 MM

Today I made a trip to Shopko, I haven't been there in quite some time, but I couldn't pass up this deal. Here it is:

10 - Bic Soleil Bella Razors 5.00 sale plus get $4 rebate on every 2 purchased - NO limit
4 - Folders 0.10 sale
4 - 24pk pencils 0.79 sale
2 - Crayola washable markers 1.29 sale
4 - Crayola crayons 0.20 sale

$ 56.94 + 3.99 tax = $60.93 TOTAL
minus $10 off $40 purchase coupon (also saved .70in tax)
minus 10 $3 razor coupons
so today I paid $20.93
but I can submit for $20 rebate on the razors & 10% bonus if I want in-store credit
that means they will actually pay me $1.77 to take this stuff

Free Sample of Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal

Go here to request a FREE sample of the new Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal.

http://freesample.totalcereal.com/TotalFY10/Default.aspx

Get a coupon for New Tide Stain Release

I admit I am a Tide-aholic. I love my Tide, and it is the detergent I use 95% of the time. However, I have not seen this new product yet, and know only what I read on their site. So I am not recommending this, nor do I even know what the cost is. But you can go here and get a coupon if you are considering trying it. Or if anyone has already tried it, please leave us all your comments.

http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/tide/brandsampler-login.jsp

Nescafe Instant Coffee Sticks FREE Sample

Go here to request a free 6-stick sample pack of Nescafe Instant Coffee Sticks.

http://smartchoice.tasterschoice.com/#/Try_It_On_Us/

Hy-Vee Tent Sale trip $54.91

I went to Hy-Vee today because they were having a Tent Sale with some pretty decent deals.

5 Coke 2ltr $1 sale
6 Hy-Vee apple juice 3/$4 sale
2 Gatorade 8pks 2/$9 sale
6 Old Wisconsin 4pk snack sticks .50 sale
3 Ground beef 85% 1.99 sale
4 Pudding packs .88 sale
Country Crock
Macaroni
Noodles
BBQ sauce
2 Baby food
Tea Bags
Snacks for John to take in lunchbox
Hotdogs
Milk
Napkins
2 Kids scissors .49 sale

So I spent quite a bit, but with John working overtime he needed snacks and drinks. So we will have to adjust our budget a little.

Bic coupons

I hope you have started to get some of the great school supplies that have been on sale. Here is a cool find for us. Scroll through the coupons in the bar at the top of the blog and print the BIC coupon $1/2. This will come in very handy when combined with some of these great sales. Hurry and print this right away, last time they offered BIC coupons they went really fast.

Hy-Vee & Staples

I purchased at Hy-Vee today:
2 Cheerios 1.99sale used .55qs
2 Lunchables 2.50ea
Wheat Germ 3.49
4 Sunflower kernals .44
Peanuts 1.88sale
Mushrooms .64
V8 Fusion light 2.99 used 1.00q
OM lunchmeat 3.49 used .55q
2 Wonderbread 1.48 sale
Coke 6pk 4.00 + .30 deposit
Ground beef 1.79 sale
T-bone 4.99 sale

$37.27 Total
minus 2.65 coupons .15 sack refund = $34.47

I needed the sunflower kernals, peanuts & wheat germ for homemade granola bars I am making today. I bought the steak for John since he is working overtime this week. Yeah! And the lunchables & lunchmeat so he has quick easy lunches for the kids since he won't be home until noon everyday. So in this case I spent more than usual but for good reason.




I also stopped at Staples to get these cheap school supplies:

Mechanical pencils 2.99 FREE after rebate
Highlighters 4.99 FREE after rebate
Gel Pens 4.99 FREE after rebate
2 Expo Dry Erase Markers 1.00

$14.97 + 1.05 tax = $16.02
but will get back 12.97 in rebates = 3.05 19%

Homemade Baby Biscuits

I don't know about you, but I hate the smell and ingredients in some of the baby products they sell at the store. I know they need to add preservatives to make them shelf stable but I prefer not to feed my baby those things if I don't have to. I have recently started making my baby homemade biscuit cookies and she eats them like crazy. And they are super simple to make. So I thought I would share my recipe.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups baby oatmeal cereal
3 T vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup 100% apple juice

Preheat oven to 425
Mix first three ingredients well, then slowly add the juice.
You will have a thick sticky dough ball.



Press dough in an even layer on cookie sheet and bake for 13-16 minutes.
Let it cool completely and cut into desired shapes with a pizza cutter.
I make mine into strips.

FYI - since these do not have added preservatives you do not want to leave them all out, they will go bad. I leave about five out in a ziploc and freeze the rest. When she is about out, I take a few more out of the freezer and they defrost pretty quickly.

Fareway - Spent $8.76

I was hoping to make it a few more days before going to the store but we were running really low on milk and out of bread. And John needed some things to put in his locker at work. So here is my quick stop at Fareway on the way home today:

Gal. Milk $2.27
Wonderbread 1.48
Onion 0.32
2 pudding cups 0.85 ea
Cereal bars 2.00
Gum 0.99

Total Spent $8.76
no coupons to use on these things, what a bummer :(

Walgreens $5 Coupon

If you are shopping at Walgreens today or tomorrow go to Walgreens.com and print out the $5 off $25 coupon.

Earning on the Internet

One of my readers recently emailed me and told me she had tried many PTC's and survey sites to make a little money and had been burnt by almost all of them. She then proceeded to ask me if I knew of any legitimate sites where you can earn a little money. And instead of just emailing her back (which I did), I also thought maybe this info could help a few more of my readers. So tonight, I will tell you about two sites that I use to make a little money and earn some giftcards. And both of these have paid me several times so these are legit.



On this site I click on the emails they send me everyday. I also go on their site almost daily and do the "Daily Clicks". I also do their surveys some times. If you qualify for the surveys, the money will accumulate a lot quicker. This site also has coupons you can print and redeem for .01 credit!





Swagbucks is a search engine. You go there and simply do your searching and earn points. Then you can redeem your points for items or giftcards. I have gotten three Amazon giftcards so far!

Well, there you have it, two great sites to help you on your quest of online earning. I hope this will help some of you. I know I enjoy earning a few extra dollars here and there. And right now I am trying to accumulate gift cards to help me with back to school shopping. (so far I only have $10 Target, $10 Walmart & $5 Ebay)

Walgreens - Spent $12.30

2 Huggies diapers $10 sale
2 Colored pencils .59 sale
1 Kit Kat .50 sale

$21.68 + 1.52 tax= $23.30 TOTAL
minus $11 RR used = $12.30 paid 53 %
and got a new $5 RR
and will submit for $1.50 rebate

Walgreens & Hy-Vee

Today I made a very short trip out to get a few things and I am posting both pics because a few of my readers asked to see more of my shopping trips. So here you go.



Hy-Vee
Similac formula $11.99 used $5 formula check
2 Juicy Juice 2.59 used $1 qs
Gerber baby cereal 2.99
Wonderbread 1.98 sale
Coke 2 liter 1.00 sale + .05 deposit

$23.19 Total
minus $5 formula check, 2 - $1 coupons, .05 sack credit
$16.14 paid = 70%



Walgreens
2 - Huggies diapers 10.00 sale used 1.50 qs
1 - Papermate mech. pencils 10pk 0.39 sale
6 - Photo prints 1.14

21.53 + 1.51 = $23.04 Total
minus 2 - $1.50 coupons, 2 - $2 RR's
$16.04 paid = 70% plus got $5 new RR
and will send in for $1.50 rebate so this purchase will net out to be $13.54

It's FREE Chocolate Friday again.

Go here to sign-up to receive a coupon for FREE Mars Chocolate. Hurry, this offer is only for the first 250,000 that sign-up. If you have already done this during one of the previous weeks, you can try again. There is a limit of 4 per household. If you don't get one this week, you can try again next week or any Friday through September.

https://secure.realchocolate.com/

I have already got two coupons!

Drumroll Please...

I just finished adding up the amount I have saved for the first half of the year just from using coupons and the total is.... $763.48!!!

Target - paid $3.50

I went to Target today for just a few great deals!

I purchased:
20 - ears of Corn 10/$1 sale
3 - Eggo Bakeshop 1.50 sale used $1 q

$6.50 TOTAL
-3.00 coupons = $3.50 paid

(Corn not in the picture because the kids are outside shucking it right now!)

Walgreens - paid $8.50

Today I purchased:
3 - Velvetta Shells & Cheese 3/$5 used 1.50/2 q
3 - Kraft Deluxe 3/$5 used 1.50/2 q
2 - Miracle Whip $3 used 1.00/2 q
2 - Capri Sun $2

$20 Total
-5.50 coupons -$6 RR = $ 8.50 paid 43%
also got a new $5 RR

Walgreens - Spent $6.38

Today I had two transactions at Walgreens to get:

4 Listerine 1 liter w/attached 8.5oz bonus 2/$9
2 Right Guard fast break deod. $2.99
2 Walgreens shopping bags 3/1.00

$24.65 + 1.73tax = $ 26.38
minus $3 coupons - 17 RR used = $6.38 paid 24%
and got $10 in new RR's

FREE Glidden Paint

Go to: www.glidden.com
They are giving away free quarts of paint.
You even get to pick the color. I just ordered a purple color to go in my daughters room. We are going to paint some blocks on the wall with her name in them.

Walgreens - Spent $21.21

Yes, you read that right, I spent over $20 at Walgreens today. That is more than I like to spend in a week but since I haven't spent much lately and these are great deals I didn't feel bad about it. And look at all the stuff I got. I had it rang up in three different transactions so that I could get RR's for everything. Here is what I got:

6 - Lysol sprays with to-go spray bonus $3.50sale used $2q
9 - Kotex pads, liners, tampons $2.99sale used $1 & 0.75q
1 - Aquafresh toothpaste $3sale
1 - Johnson's baby powder $1.29
1 - Caramel .33 (filler)

$52.53 + 3.68 tax = $56.21 TOTAL
- $20 coupons - $15 RR used = $21.21 paid only 38% of total
also got $19 in new RR's
plus I can send in for $3 rebate on the toothpaste

Walgreens shopping Help

I have been shopping at Walgreens for a number of years now and let me tell you, you can get some great deals there. But you need to know the guidelines.
#1 Use the coupons that are printed in their fliers along with a manufacturer's coupon to maximize your savings.
#2 Their registers print catalina coupons and register rewards. In their ad they will advertise that when you buy certain items you will recieve Register Rewards for $x, good on your next store purchase. You need to remember that it will only print one RR per each deal per transaction. You also need to know that if you pay with an RR from the same manufacturer as you are currently purchasing, the new RR will not print!
#3 Your coupon & RR count need to match or be less than your item count. So, if you have a coupon for each item you are purchasing you can not use an RR unless you add another item. You will hear of people using "fillers" (cheap, small items) to increase their item count so that they can use their RR's. The only exception is the in-ad Walgreens coupons, they do not count toward your coupon total.

Walgreens - spent $1.21

(Sorry forgot to take a picture.)

I had a $10RR that was expiring so I had to stop at Walgreens yesterday.
I purchased:

2- Arm & Hammer detergents BOGO @$6.99
1- St Ives Body Wash $2.99
1- Wags aluminum foil $0.50

$10.48 + .73 tax = $11.21
minus $10 RR = I paid $1.21
and rec'd a $3RR

Lysol Coupons

Go here to register and print Lysol coupons:
http://www.lysol.com/

These will go great with the Lysol deals at Walgreens next week.

Dollar General Savings today & tomorrow

If you are going to Dollar General today or tomorrow, print out this coupon and save an extra 10 or 20% off most items.

http://www.dollargeneral.com/Documents/SavingsZoneCoupon.pdf

Reynold's parchment paper coupon

If you like to use parchment paper when baking or doing crafts, there is a printable coupon for it at the Reynold's site.

http://www.reynoldspkg.com/reynoldskitchens/parchment_paper/en/home.asp

A1 Steak Sauce - Great Deal

Go here to print $2 coupons for A1:
http://www.youtube.com/a1

My Walmart & Target have bottles of A1 for $2.09, so print away and go get some $0.09 steak sauce!

Coupon help - Post #2

We all have heard of unit pricing. And a lot of stores have unit price information listed right on their shelf tags. However, when using a coupon you need to re-figure the unit price for different packages. Many times with coupons it is much more cost effective to use multiple coupons and buy the smaller package because it will result in the lowest unit price and you will spend much less money.

Coupon help - Post #1

Ok, so a few of you have asked me to help you learn how to save the most money by couponing. So this will take me several posts over a lot of days because of my lack of free time. But to start with there are several places where you can print coupons online. Just remember to print only the ones you will use otherwise you are wasting your money on ink and paper. Since you are already here, start by scrolling the coupons in the banner above. The other sites I would recommend for printables are:

www.smartsource.com
www.redplum.com
www.coolsavings.com

A site where I trade for insert coupons on a regular basis is:
www.refundsweepers.com
if you sign up please put my ID as your referral: ab6333
I try to keep at least $5.00 in my paypal account to trade people for coupons they have that I want. An FYI when speaking with people, you never buy coupons(that's illegal), you pay people for their time in handling the coupons.

Walgreens - Spent $3.96

Today I purchased:
1 - Ecotrin $2 - 2Q
2 - Wags premium diapers 5.99 ea

$13.98 + 0.98 = $14.96
- 2 coupon -9 RR = $3.96 paid 26%
and rec'd $2RR

Walgreens - Spent $0.14

What I purchased today:

Glucose Meter $10 - $10Q =FREE
Ecotrin $2 - 2Q = FREE

Total $12 + .14 tax = $12.14
minus $12 coupons = $0.14 paid 1%
plus got new RR's for $10,$2
It's like they paid me $11.86 to take all this home with me!!!

Help - the baby is teething

You would think since this is my third child I would be better at this by now, but with this baby everything is different. Now she is teething I believe. I have tried the gel you put on the gums, Tylenol, chewey things, frozen chewey things, and pacifiers, NOTHING helps her! She just screams and screams and screams and won't sleep. This has been going on for a few days now. Of course, just when she is getting over the Colic and I think they have her reflux medicine adjusted right, something else comes along and messes with our world again. So, does anyone have any other ideas. I will try them. Please.

Walgreens - Spent $5.04

I purchased:
1 - Bayer Monitor $10 - $10q
1 - Revlon Blow dryer $12.99
1 - Ecotrin $2 - $2q

$24.99 + 1.05 tax= $26.04
minus $12coupons - $9 prev RR = $5.04 spent 19%
plus got new RR's of $10, $10, $2
It's like they paid me $7.96 to buy all this stuff!

Walgreens - Spent $7.38 but rec'd $24 RR

What I purchased today:

Glucose Meter $10 - $10Q =FREE
Revlon hair dryer $12.99
Listerine 4.99-2Q
Ecotrin $2

Total $29.98 + 1.40 tax = $31.38
minus $12 coupons - $12 previous RR's = $7.38 paid 24%
plus got new RR's for $10, $10,$2, $2
It's like they paid me $4.62 to take all this home with me!!!

Walgreens - Spent $13.13

Stopped at Walgreens three times this week and here is what I got:

4 - 4pk Wags toilet paper
3 - Posture D Calcium 60pk
2 - Bayer crystals
2 - Reach toothbrushes
1 - Thank you teacher card
4 - Pictures printed

Total $39.70 + 2.77= $42.47
minus RR used = $13.13 paid
plus rec'd $ $35 in new RR's

Free Ice Cream at Walmart tomorrow (May 30th)

Go here: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/food-center-ice-cream.aspx

To type in your zip code and see what stores around you are participating in the Free ice cream tomorrow from 11-4pm.
The free samples are:
Dibs Snack Bag
Blue Bunny Aspen frozen yogurt granola bar
Ben & Jerry’s Flipped Out Cup

My Son - Kindergarten Graduation

My son had his kindergarten graduation. It was such a cute ceremony. And I am very proud of him for all the things he has learned this year. At the end the teacher was showing a video of the kids at the beginning of the school year and now and I have to admit it brought a tear to my eye to see him as such a "big" kid.

Win a Kenmore Trio Refridgerator

Go here to enter to win a new Kenmore Trio Refridgerator in the new black stainless finish:

https://sears.rsys4.net/servlet/website/ResponseForm?lLHklEVTTCTYUA_zyz_0kpnnLkLK_dLgthkL_.40hkt

ends May 30th

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to all.
Please take time to think about all of our servicemen and women who have serviced and are currently serving this awesome country.

Saturday Wags trip - Spent $0.58

I did two transactions today at Wags.

I got 3 Royal Jello
2 Skintimate shave gel
2 Wags Tampons B1G1 free

$7.72 + .49 tax = $8.21
- 1.50 coupons - 6 RR - .13gc = $0.58 7%
and got 2 -$1 RR

Tuesday Wags trip - Spent $5.99

I purchased:
1 - Right Guard Professional Strength Deoderant
1 - Skintimate shave gel
4 - Band-Aid 80ct

$17.98 + 1.26 tax = $19.24 TOTAL
minus coupons & RR's I paid $5.99 31%
and I rec'd $10 in new RR's

Pizza night at school

Tonight was Pizza Night at the kid's school. It is a fundraiser for the PTO so they have more money to buy things for the school. It is usually a nice time for us all. We get to have Godfather's pizza, which we all like, the kids get extra time with their friends and the parents get to catch up with each other.
So we got there and I took the baby out of her car seat and was putting her in the stroller when my son shut my door. Which would have been a nice thing except my purse, the diaper bag, and the keys where all sitting on my seat. John got upset about it and then our son felt so bad, he didn't even want to go play with his best friend.
So we had a $30 expenditure this evening that we weren't expecting. But I told John, we spent $10 on pizza and $30 on a locksmith = $40 for a nice night out isn't bad. So I told him to go cuddle with his son and life can be good again.
And a lesson learned for us all!

Saturday Wags trip - Spent $1.67 !!!

Sorry I didn't get this posted earlier but I was pretty excited about this one!



I purchased:
1 - 12pk dbl roll Angel Soft
2 - Wags Premium diaper packs
1 - Bayer Crystals

$16.97 + 1.19 tax = $18.16 TOTAL
used RR's and paid $1.66 (9%)
and got $2.50 RR

Soccer is over - they finished 2nd

This season of soccer is over. I am very proud of my daughter and her team. They finished second overall!

Walgreens Tuesday trip - spent $6.77

I purchased:
2 - 12pk dbl roll Angel Soft
2 - Wags Premium diaper packs
1 - Colgate Toothbrush
1 - Bubble mailer (needed to mail something to my Mom)

$24.55 + 1.72tax = $26.27 TOTAL
used RR's and paid $6.77 (26%)
and got $2 RR

HOT Kraft printables!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/kraftcoupons.aspx?cm_sp=CRM-_-MemorialDay_Coupon-_-Homepage

Kraft has released $50 in coupons at the above link. You can also click on my coupons.com link at the top of the blog. You should be able to print 2 of each coupon at each location for a total of 4 coupons! Print your coupons now, there is a print limit so they will disappear quickly.

Monday Wags Trip - spent $2.61

Purchased 2 - 12pks dbl roll Angel Soft, Colgate toothbrush & Bayer Quick Release.
Paid $2.61 and rec'd $2RR & $2.50 RR

Saturday Wags Trip - spent $3.90

Stopped by Walgreens on our way home from another soccer game. Wanted to buy the $25 worth of Mr Clean to get $5RR. However they only had eight, so did two $10 transactions to get 2 $2RR. Armed with my BOGO coupons I only paid $3.90 for these 8 2pks of Mr Clean Magic Erasers.

FREE 8 x 10 Today Only

Today only (Wednesday, May 6, 2009), Walgreens is offering a free 8x10 photo enlargement when you use the code MOTHER at checkout on their website or use the in-ad coupon in-store. If you order online, choose in-store pickup to ensure no shipping charges.

I ordered a picture I just took this weekend of daddy and baby and I will frame it
really nice and give it to him for Father's day. It was a $2.99 value. What a nice FREEBIE! Thanks Walgreens.

My Sunday Walgreens Trip

I had to venture out today so of course I stopped by Walgreens to pick up this week's deals.
Here is my transaction:
2 - Listerine Total Care mouthwash 2/$9
used 2 $2 IP coupons
2 - Pert Plus shampoo 2/$5
used 2 $1 IP coupons
1 - Colgate sensitive toothpaste $4.49
1 - Right Guard deoderant $2.99
used $1 coupon
1 - Bayer quick release crystals $2.49

Total $25.65 - 7.00 coupons & $4 RR - 7.74 giftcard
Paid $6.91!!!
and got back $4.50RR, $2RR, $4.50RR, $2RR & $2.50RR Net Price of $3.15 is 12%

Printable Walmart Deals

I thought I would compile a list of printable coupons that make great deals at Walmart.

Velveeta shells & cheese $1.50 ea.
Here is a coupon for 1.50/2 http://brands.kraftfoods.com/sharealittlecomfort/

Malt o Meal cereal $1.00
Here is a coupon for .50/1 http://www.malt-o-meal.com/special-offers/special-offers.php

Mission tortillas $0.97
Here is a coupon for $1.00/1 http://www.missionmenus.com/missionextras.aspx

Cascadian Farms Organic Purely Steam Vegetables--$1.22
Here is a coupon for $1.00/1 http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/

Muir Glen Tomato Sauce or Diced Tomatoes--$1.24
Here is a $1.00/1 http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/coupons/

Free Hallmark card sent to your Mother

Mother's Day is May 10th

Use this link to send a very nice Hallmark card to your mom for FREE!
I did this and the cards looked very nice and the personalization features are great.
Just use the code CARD4MOM at checkout.

http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home%7C10001%7C10051%7C-1

Walgreens - It's a Great Week for RR's

This week at Walgreens you can get the following items Free after Register Rewards!!

Rembrandt toothpaste 2.6 or 3 oz. or 16oz mouthwash $5.99
Nivea body wash 16.9oz $4.99
Bayer quick release crystals 4ct $2.49
Ecotrin 45ct $2

Another deal great - not free, but close:
Listerine whitening rinse 16oz 2/$8
use 2 $1.50 coupons and get $4 RR = 2/$1

Weeks like this I am so glad I drive right by Walgreens to & from work!

Soccer Saturday

Well my daughter's team had another soccer game today. I was curious to see how they would do since their practice this week got rained out. Then when they went down 0-2 very early in the game their spirits were turning pretty bleak. But by half time it was 2-2 and everyone was in a very good mood. My daughter played defense the first half and goalie the second half. I was very proud of her for not letting the other team score. And then they won the game 5-2!!
They have now won both of their games. - Stay tuned to hear how they do next Saturday.

Earth Day Savings at Walgreens!

Print off this coupon, good at Walgreens tomorrow only!
It is good for 15-20% off plus a free bag!
Don't miss out on this great deal, you know I won't!

http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/onlineoffers/default.html?ec=hn1016f_trouble

Get FREE Freeze & Steam Bags from FoodSaver

Go here:
https://secure.foodsaver.com/freegift.aspx

Fill out a form and recieve 10 Free Freeze & Steam bags from FoodSaver.
After filling out the form they will ask you to verify your email.
Then it says to expect them in 4-6 weeks.
I love my FoodSaver, so I am really looking forward to these Freebies.

Walgreens Monday's trip

I stopped at Walgreens yesterday after work.

1 - Chapstick shimmer 1.99
1 - Mitchum deoderant 2.99

$4.98 + .35tax = $5.33Total
used $1 coupon and $3 RR = $1.33 paid
got $2RR & $2 RR = $0.33 NET 6%

Not a great week for frees - however next week they have 4 items that are Free after RR.
So get ready, I am very excited about it.

First Soccer Game

I am so proud of my daughter and her teammates. They only had three practices together before they had their first game today. And they did a good job of playing together. And they even won 2-1.

Today went to Walmart & Walgreens

At Walmart bought a few things and a $10 toy for a birthday party my son is going to on Saturday. One of the deals I got was 30ct Halls cough drops for 0.18 per bag after 1.00 coupon.
Total was $37.44 and $28.44 after coupons - that's a 25% savings!

Then to Walgreens on way to work and this was the transaction:
Scunci 18pk $2
Fiber Choice 10ct $2.49
used $2RR & $2RR and paid $0.80
and rec'd $2 RR & $2.50 RR
NET $0.30 6% a 94% savings!

Not a bad if I say so myself.

More Walgreens deals this week

Yesterday I did two transactions while waiting for a prescription.

Scunci 18pk $2
Fiber Choice 10ct 2.49

used $3 RR & $1 RR and paid $0.80
and rec'd $2 RR & $2.50 RR
NET $0.30 6%

Scunci 18pk $2
Fiber Choice 10ct $2.49

used $2RR & $2RR and paid $0.80
and rec'd $2 RR & $2.50 RR
NET $0.30 6%

Sick Kids

Ugh, I have two sick kids. So no shopping for me yesterday as planned. And I really wanted to make two more stops at Walgreens. I am really hoping that I can get one more in this afternoon but I am doubtful about it happening. My son started off with a bad cough on Wednesday and woke up with a fever Thursday and then Thursday night the baby got a high fever and now she has a cough too. So wish me luck that they are both on the mend and it doesn't spread to anyone else.

Free Pantyhose @ Walmart

Today I made a quick trip to Walmart to get some fabric to recover my daughter's windowseat and while there I made a cool discovery. I had a few of the No Nonsense 1.00/1 coupons, and while looking through the products saw that they carry a single pack for $1.00. So Free Pantyhose!!!!

Walgreens Trip #2

Stopped at Walgreens on the way to work today. Here is the daily tally:


3 - Garnier Fructis 3/$10
used 3 - $1 coupons
1 - Chapstick Natural $1.99
1 - Colgate Total tp $3.49
used $1 coupon
2 - Visine AC $3.99 each

$23.46 + 1.64 tax = $25.10
- 4.00 coupons - 2 -$3 RR = 15.15 paid
will get 5.50 rebate
rec'd RR 3.50, 2.00, 3.00
NET $7.10 !!!! 28 % of purchase price!!!!

Walgreens Trip

My first Walgreens trip this week. (I drive right past Walgreens on my way to and from work).

3 - Garnier Fructis hairspray 3/$10
used 3 $1 coupons
2 - Johnson's baby wash 2/$6
used 2 IP $1 coupons
1 - Colgate Total tp $3.49
used $1.50 coupon
1 - Edge Gel $2.99

$22.48 + 1.57 tax = $24.05
- 6.50 coupons - 2 RR = 15.55 paid

will get 5.50 rebate
rec'd RR 3.50, 1.00, 3.00

NET $4.55 !!!! 19 % of purchase price!!!!

Bath & Body Works FREE 3oz lotion

Here is a good deal if you need a little gift for someone, or a special purchase for yourself. With any purchase you can get a free signature collection 3oz body lotion a $5 value. Go pick out a clearance item or a $1 gift bag and get this to go with it and you have a very inexpensive gift ready to give. Just go here and print out the coupon:

http://f.chtah.com/i/34/528207786/20090324_coupon.html?u1=C5B1L3BR2S34225-2009-03-30-20-11-c-53793

Target Deals

This week I was able to get some good deals at Target!

I haven't been to Target for quite awhile so I had to go check out their clearance section. I was able to find a pair of cool tennis shoes for my daughter for $3.74 and a long sleeved t-shirt for my son for $2.48. I had also printed off some coupons from their site before I left and here are some great grocery deals:
Market Pantry fruit snacks $1.54 - 1.00 = .54 per box
Cheetos 4oz bags $1.29 - 1.00 = .29 per bag
Market Pantry artisan bread demi 0.97 -1.00 = free
Dole pre-cut salad 1.54 marked down to 1.00 - 1.00 = free

Some of the coupons expire 4/11 and some 4/25, so I am hoping to have time to go back this week. They also should have new coupons on their site today, but I haven't checked yet.

More good Walgreens deals

Last week at Walgreens I got 5 Edge shave gels and 5 Chapstick naturals for FREE!
The deal is you buy them and get a register reward for the amount back. You can only do one of each per transaction. I believe the edge will go for three more weeks, but the chapstick was just last week.

Kellogg's All-Bran Fiber Drink mix - free sample

Don't forget to sign up for free samples you would like to try.
Here is one I just found.

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid68336.aspx

Dove Walgreens Deal ~~~ .02 Soap

This week's great Walgreens deal is on Dove products. Dove is on sale 25% off this week, and all month long they have a Register Rewards deal buy 8, get $10 RR.

So yesterday I got bars of soap for only the tax.
The single bars of Dove soap are on sale for $1.19
8 @ 1.19 = $9.54 + tax = $10.19 and got a $10 RR
so paid .19 for 8 bars of soap!!!!

Needless to say I will go back again to get some more, hope they have more.
Gotta keep the RR's rolling.

My Huggies totals

Well as I suspected, I wasn't able to get all the diapers I wanted but I am still happy with what I got. And I am very excited to share my totals with everyone.

Transaction 1:
3 Huggies @ $10 - 3 $5 coupons = $15 paid and rec'd $10 RR

Transaction 2:
3 Huggies @ $10 - 3 $3 coupons = $21 paid and rec'd $10 RR

Transaction 3:
3 Huggies @$10 - 2 $3 & 1 $5 coupon = $19 paid and rec'd $10 RR

Total paid for 9 packages $55 - $30 RR - 6.75 rebate = $18.25 or $2.03 per package!!!!!

I am so bummed that this Walgreens deal is over now. But we can hope they have some good deals for next week.

Sweet deal on Huggies at Walgreens!!

For any one with little ones you can appreciate this deal.

This week Walgreens has Huggies jumbo packs on sale for $10.
Coupons.com has Huggies $5 and $3 coupons available for printing. I was able to print 12 using my home and work computers. Walgreens is also offering a $10 register reward deal when you buy $25 or more of huggies diapers.

So, this is what I plan to do if my Walgreens has enough diapers: make 4 transactions

2 transactions will be:
3 Huggies @$10 - 3 $5 coupons = $15 paid and get a $10 RR back

2 transactions will be
3 Huggies @$10 - 3 $3 coupons = $21 paid and get a $10 RR back

It's like getting 12 jumbo packs for $32 ($2.67 each)
plus then I can send away for a 0.75 rebate on each pack making them less than $2 per pack!!!!

I suggest you run, not walk to your local Walgreens.

My February Numbers

Now keep in mind that I was doing a bit of stockpiling of sale items this month.

Ok, here is what I spent in February:
Groceries: $311.58
Household Supplies: $74.37
Diapers: $41.60
Formula: $19.96
Clothing: $8.01

And my savings for February:
Coupons: $66.23
Rebates: $26.97