Shopping Warriors

Since shopping can sometimes feel like a battle--one that we conquer weekly--I figured Shopping Warriors would be a good name for the weekly shopping pictures/findings postings. :)

I haven't forgot to put some up the last few weeks. I just didn't have the time to type up everything. Same goes for this week. So I thought I'd just share some quick things I found and leave a linky so you can link-up your pics! I'll try to get a picture up when my computer decides to allow me to upload from my camera again! :) I'll get this link up weekly, even if I just have to put up a quick note of what I found without pricing.

The Deals I Found:

Con/Agra Dannon Deal @ Jewel - I ran this one FIVE times! I am now well-stocked on Diced tomatoes, yogurt and oil! I didn't bother rolling my catalinas (I wanted some to show my couponing class) so I should have almost free groceries coming up. I love that I could snag oil for $.50!

Target - They just put out some GREAT items in the dollar area for learning tools. I picked up some alphabet workbooks and some shapes/colors/numbers books. (We had a blast with these today!)

CVS - Went to get the Always Infinity Deal and they were wiped out. So I did something unusual...I left without buying ANYTHING! (What?!)

This Week's Plan?

I haven't seen Target's Ad yet but I may get some Right Guard and Kellogg's Cereal at Wags and use my Jewel Catalinas for formula, produce, bread and milk. Still debating on the Coke/Hillshire Farm deal. I think I still have plenty of stock. (It's sooo hard to pass up a good deal, isn't it?!) I found 3 more Weber Grilling Seasonings coupons so I will definitely be getting those for FREE this week! (Love the Chipotle one!)

So what did you find this week? Leave a linky to your posting with your shopping pics and/or findings! Don't have a blog? Leave a comment with the savings you found!

Week In Review: Saving Money Challenge - Week Five's Trip

Well, it's a new month. So I'll start over with my totals. I just picked up some simple things this last week. Mostly produce and baby items. Here were my trips:



Local Grocery Store
Gallon of Milk
2 Boxes of Macaroni Grill Meals (used my FREE coupons)
1 Box of Raisins
1 Loaf of Bread
1 lb of Carrots
1 pkg of Celery
5 lbs of Peaches
3.5 lbs of Hamburger

Total Out-of-Pocket: $21.22. The only coupons I used were for the Macaroni Grill items. They were free but only covered $4.99 of the $5.29 so I paid the difference. Why didn't I use them elsewhere? They were a week expired and Jewel/Wal-Mart wouldn't take them. This store still does. So it was either spend $.30 or lose out! :)


Jewel
3 cans of Goodstart Formula
10 lbs of Bananas (were on sale for $.33 a lb!)
1 Gallon of Milk

Total Out-of-Pocket: $69.47 I had a Jewel coupon and Goodstart Catalina.

Grand Totals
Groceries: $28.22
Baby Items: $62.47

Yes, I keep my baby formula in a separate budget. Why? At $25-$27 a can (no sales/coupons) we'd never be able to eat otherwise! (I keep a $180 grocery budget) :) We only have about 5 months left of the formula so it's just easier for me to keep it separate so I don't have to change back later.

I did use a couple bananas and about 2 lbs of peaches ($.99lb) for Kaydi's homemade baby food. So I should add another $2.31 to my homemade baby food total making it $4.31 for sweet potatoes, squash, bananas and peaches so far. This is already included in our grocery totals (May/June) but just for fun, I wanted to see how much I end up spending on it.

Not much of a big coupon week for me! I didn't even make it to Walgreens or CVS! I do have to go there soon. I have some ECBs my Mom earned while she was here and I have to find a way to use them for her. (She lives in the land of no CVS! Poor thing!)

How did your week go? Feel free to share your great shopping trips so we can all be inspired to save more! (Mr. Linky is having issues again. I've removed the script so please leave a comment to your shopping trip for now. Sorry!)

UPDATE: I'm going to try Mr. Linky again. Let me know if you guys experience any slow page-loading issues. Thanks!

Week In Review: Saving Money Challenge--Week 4's Shopping Trip

So, I've given up on finding Week 3s receipts. I must have thrown them out in my mad-spring cleaning. Thank goodness I didn't buy any rebate items that week! I do know from my grocery envelope that it cost $42 that week. It was mostly Kraft items, condiments, weekly basics, 2 newspapers and a $2 squash for Kaydi's baby food. So, after week 3 my totals would have been:

May groceries/household = $24.35 + $42.00 = $66.35.
Total Baby Food Costs = $2. (included in above total)
Total Rebates Earned = $4.99

Moving on to Week 4. I thought for sure I was going to end May at $100 and then Jewel went and had a great deal on pop, which actually, was great since we were down to our last 12pk. I stocked up last fall. I asked and there wasn't any limit to what you could buy. Here's my trips for the week. A rare week of multiple trips!



Target
1 Bliss Chocolate Bar
2 Pupperoni Dog Treats
2 100-Calorie Pack Peanut Butter cookies
10 Joint Juices
1 Quaker Oatmeal Pancake Mix
2 Coppertone Sunblocks
Total Cost = $25.14
Total Out-of-Pocket = $4.14. Used coupons galore!



Jewel
1 gallon of milk
2 lbs of tomatoes
1 onion
6 ears of corn on the cob
1 Grandpa's Potato Salad (My Mom's favorite!)
1 pkg of corn taco shells
18 eggs
1 pkg of hamburger buns
1 pkg of hot dog buns
2 Hillshire Farms lunch meats
5-12pks of Coke products (not pictured as I didn't want to break my table!)
1 box of Kellogg's Honey Cornflakes
1-2L of Diet Pepsi
2 Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauces
3 Kraft BBQ Sauces
2 Kraft Salad Dressings
1 bag of sugar
2-25oz. cans of Goodstart Formula

Total Groceries/Baby Items Cost = $109.39 (This is after preferred savings)
Total Out-of-Pocket = $83.39 with $43.98 being formula so, $39.41 on groceries.

My Mom wanted to get some pop, so I made one more trip on Saturday and then got two more Coke/Pepsi coupons from my neighbor and went out once more on Monday. These are my totals for those days. I was exhausted after carrying in the pop and didn't think the picture of pop would be all too exciting. :)

Jewel Transactions #1 and #2
5 Coke Products
2 Hillshire Lunchmeats
Total Out-of-Pocket = $10.26

5-12pks of Coke Products
2 Hillshire Lunchmeats
5-12pks of Pepsi Products
Total Out-of-Pocket = $24.84

Wal-Mart
2-Romano's Macaroni & Grill Meals
1 Box of Blue Bunny Ice Cream
Total Cost = $12.10
Total Out-of-Pocket = $4.77. Had Free Coupons for the M&G Meals
Total Earned = $4.34 Blue Bunny Rebate.

Grand Totals for Week 4:
Groceries = $83.42
Baby Formula = $43.98
Rebates Earned = $4.34

Those totals aren't too bad considering the stockpile I now have on pop & lunchmeat AND I had my parents here for 3.5 days for several meals. I shouldn't have to buy pop for a long, long time! (I hate running out of this for Rich because they are $4+ a 12-pk, otherwise!)

Here are my overall May Totals now:
Groceries = $149.77
Baby Formula = $43.98
Homemade Baby Food = $2 for sweet potatoes and squash (already included in grocery total but keeping separate,too)
Rebates Earned = $9.33
Coupon Costs = $2 on eBay for 40 Joint Juices. Newspapers were figured into grocery trips.

That's it for May. We'll see how June turns out. I still have most of my stockpile left plus lots more added to it. I'm hoping there aren't any more high $ coupons put out in June! :) (joking!)

Did you have a good trip this week? Since Mr. Linky is still on the blink, I guess we'll have to resort to leaving comments with links to your blog. Sorry about that. Maybe next week ML will be working again!

Week In Review: Saving Money Challenge - Week Two's Trip

So Nathan and I went out Friday for our little one-on-one time. I look forward to this every week. He loves shopping with me and he's such a good boy. I figure I'll keep taking him until he starts costing me extra! (Though, he did do this once HERE!!)

We only went to Target and Jewel. I was laughing at how ironic that all week long I post so many free/cheap/money-making deals and I now don't cash in on too many. I just really don't need much right now and my space is becoming limited. Watch.Every.Penny. So here's our trip: (I'm still following the Saving Money Challenge HERE and see my other posts HERE)


Target - Transactions #1 and #2
2 Glade Soy Candles
Total Cost: $12.04
Total OOP: $4.04. I used 2 - $4/1 Qs.
Total Earned: $5 Gift Card

10 Hershey's Bliss Chocolate Bars (A girl HAS to have her chocolate, right?)
10 Bags of Chex Mix (Sending to my brother in Iraq)
2 Small cans of Pringles (Saving the cans to keep reusing for summer outings)
2 V8 Fusions (I wish I had more Qs! Nathan loves this!)
2 Premier Easy Lid Containers (Discounted!!)
1 Reynolds Recycled Aluminum Foil (Have a rebate for)
3 Banana Boat Sunblocks (Putting in our vehicles and Diaper Bag!)
5 Planters Sunflower Seed Kernels (Some for us, Some for Mom)

Total Cost: $41.87.
Total OOP: $5.37. Used $5 GC from above and, well, lots of Qs!
Total Earned: $2.99 Reynold's Rebate


Jewel
1 box of 5 NY Strip Steaks (Marked down from $9.99 to $3.99!)
2.5 lbs of Bananas
2 bags of salad shrimp - BOGO deal (great for salads and pasta additions!)
Total Cost: $7.65
Total OOP: $4.65. Had a $3 OYNO of chicken/beef catalina from Old El Paso. So I got the steaks for $.99!

Grand Total Cost for the Trip: $61.56. (This is AFTER sales/card savings)
Grand Total OOP for the Trip: $14.04
Grand Total Earned (that I didn't use) for the Trip: $2.99

So far for May my OOP expenses are: $24.35 for the month with Total Earned: $4.99. (I don't subtract these to avoid double-counting them in the future.)

We did go to a Cubs game HERE spending $ on train fares, but it was my Mother's Day present and came out of Rich's own money. I had said in the beginning I wouldn't tally Rich's "allowance" spendings. But I will share mine with you. :)

I'm hoping your challenge is going well, too! If you had a great shopping trip, regardless if you are participating in this challenge, leave us a linky! Give us some inspiration that a little money CAN go a long way! :)

Week In Review: Freebies Do Arrive!

For those of you in doubt as to whether freebies/samples show up, check out all that I've received in the mail over the last few weeks.

~Huggies Wipes Pack
~Frosted Mini-Wheats Sample w/ Coupons from Vocal Point
~Kashi Coupons (including one for a FREE Box of Cereal) from Vocal Point
~Gerber Spoon
~Healthy Balance Coupons
~Nutra Sweet Samples
~Gillette Body Wash
~Old Spice Body Wash
~Jiffy Recipe Book
~Gerber Coupons
~Starbucks Samples
~Viva Paper Towels Samples
~Dentek Sticks
~Garnier Sample
~Always Sample
~Better Than Ears Sample
~Don Francisco's Coffee Sample
~Maybelline Make-up Samples
~Rosemary Seeds of the Day

Not only are freebies/samples a great FREE way to try out something new but they usually send money-saving coupons with them to use on your next purchase!

Other uses for freebies? Use them for traveling. Make up great little baskets for gifts or giveaways at school/church etc. Or keep the small snacks in your diaper bag, purse or car for hunger pains while on the go!

But I do strongly recommend that you create a special email address for signing up for them. You'd be surprised how quickly your personal email inbox can become overloaded with emails!!

And for those of you that haven't, you should consider signing-up for Vocal Point. (not a referer link!!) I get the best coupons from them.

Week In Review: Saving Money Challenge--My Shopping Trip

This was my first shopping trip since participating in the Saving Money Challenge (of Watch.Every.Penny.) Here's what my shopping trip looked like this week:

Wal-Mart - Return
~Returned a pair of Nathan's shorts that didn't fit and found two coupons I didn't use on a previous trip that they gave me $$ for.
Total Cash Back = $5.78

Target - Return
~Returned 2-10pocket shoe storage hangers as they were too small for what I needed them for.
Total Gift Card Credit = $21.38 (I purposely had it put on a gift card since I knew I was using it that day. Easier than juggling money.)

Target - Transaction #2
~Bought 4 Boxes of Fiber One bars
Total Cost = $4.24
Total Out-Of-Pocket = $0 (Used return gift card.)
Earned = $5 Gift Card

Target - Transaction #1
~Bought 2-6 pocket closet storage hangers (These weren't there when I had originally bought the other ones!)
~Bought 2-13 pocket expanding file holders (One for coupon class & one for giveaway)
Total Cost=$25.64
Total Out-Of-Pocket = $3.50 (Used rest of return gift card and $5 gift card from above.

Staples
~Bought 2 packs of 12 BiC pens (Will pass these out to use at Coupon Class)
Total Cost = $2.14
Total Out-of-Pocket = $.14 (Used 2 - $1/1 printable coupons)

Babies R Us
~Bought 2-2oz. tubes of Balmex
Total Cost = $5.28
Total Out-of-Pocket = $1.28 (Used 2-$2/1 coupons from Baby Talk/American Baby Mags)
Total Earned = $2 in Caregiver's Marketplace rebate $$

CVS - Transaction #1
2 Adidas Action3 Intensive Deodorants (My Dad loves these!)
2 Tomato Plants
2 Chicago Tribunes
Total Cost = $12.06
Total Out-of-Pocket = $1.06 (Used $10 in soon-expiring ECBs, $1/1 Adidas Q)
Total Earned = $6 ECBs

CVS -Transaction #2
4 Pepper Plants
3 Tomato Plants
Total Cost = $12.33
Total Out-of-Pocket = $6.33 (Used $6 ECBs that I earned above)

Jewel
40 lbs of Top Soil (Not Pictured)
1 Bag of Onion Sets
2 Strawberry Plants
1 Cilantro Plant
Sweet Onions
1 gallon of milk
2 containers of grape tomatoes
1 bag of carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Total Cost = $21.47
Total Out-of-Pocket = $5.47 (Used soon-expiring catalinas)

When I got home, I noticed they didn't scan my preferred card and also rang up my sweet potatoes as sweet onions, overcharging me. Rich went back the next day and we got the difference back on the preferred savings and they refunded the ENTIRE price of the sweet potatoes, since they technically charged us wrong. Talk about SWEET!

Total Refund: $5.57

He then made a stop at our local grocery store and got:

Local Grocery Store(Not Pictured)
10 Yoplait Yogurts
1 Loaf of Bread
Total Cost = $9.76
Total Out-of-Pocket = $3.86 (Used store coupon to get sale price on yogurt and then a $1/6 manufacturer's coupon)

So My Grand Totals Look Like:
Total Spent: $21.64
Minus Refunds: $11.35
Total Out-of-Pocket for the Week: $10.29 PLUS I earned $2 in mail-in-rebates.

What Did I Get For My $10.29?
~Basic Foods Needed for the Week & Snack Items
~Sweet Potatoes for Kaydi's Baby Food
~Giveaway Items for Coupon Class & Site
~Everything needed for Salsa Garden, Extra Tomato Plants & Strawberry Plants (This will save us so much later!)
~Items for Family, Baby Item & One for Baby Basket Giveaway
~Storage Hangers for the Kid's Closets (Will tell you about these later)
~Two Sunday Papers Full of Money-Saving Coupons!! (1 for us, 1 for coupon folder for Coupon Class)

Not too bad of a trip! ;) Now, if I could get away with $10 every week, that would be a beautiful thing!

Side Note: I also stopped by Wags to get a Thermacare but the RRs didn't print so I just got my money back. Bummer, as I wanted to send them to my brother.

Week in Review: Cashing in on Meat Sales

Last week, I spent only a total of $14.62 so I had a little extra cash for groceries this week. I was going to go for another "basics" week until I saw "Meat Sale" in my local store's ad!! Here's what I ended up with:

Local Grocery Store
3- 2-2.5lb Pork Roasts - on sale
2-2.5lb pkgs of Spare Ribs - on sale
2 lbs. of Bananas
1 lb of Grapes - on sale
1 head of lettuce - on sale
2 pkgs. of Farmland Bacon - on sale
1-8pk of Gatorade - special clearance
2 pkgs. of Ramen Noodles - on sale (Nathan loves these! I leave off the broth and they aren't as bad for you.)

Total: $33.86. Total Savings: $27.09



Jewel
2 Gallons of Milk - on sale
2 bags of Tyson Chicken Tenders - special clearance
2 Sara Lee Cheesecake Bites - BOGO
4 Jars of Mt. Olive Pickles - BOGO & used 2 - $.75/1 Qs (only had 2)
6 cans of Linday Olives - 6- $.50/1 from Avenu deals and on sale
2.5lbs of Tomatoes
.75lbs of bananas
1 bag of english muffins - bought store brand to save $
2 boxes of Wheat Thins - used BOGO Q
1 bottle of Kraft Dressing - used $1.50/1 Q
5 jars of Pace Picante - used $4/1 Qs
1 box of Ziploc Bags - used $.55/1 Q and on sale
1 tile brush - discount bin
1 loaf of bread - on sale
1 pkg of napkins - on sale
1 bottle of cranberry juice - on sale
1 box of pepperoni - used $1/1 Q
2 jars of Barilla spaghetti sauce - on sale
Total: $41.34
Total Saved: $59.14
Earned: $1 catalina from the Sara Lee bites.

Grand Total: $89.82
Earned: $1 Catalina
Total "Savings": $86.23
Total for April Groceries: $89.82

How did you do this week? Leave a linky and share your stories!

Week in Review: I Barely Shopped!

I have not left my house since I came home Sunday from my 5K Walk. I've been battling a cold/flu virus and have basically just been going through the motions. It's times like these, that I am so thankful for a plentiful pantry so I can just have Rich pick up the basics.

How sick was I? I didn't even feel like taking a picture! That never happens! Well, here's my "big shopping trip" of the week, that Rich actually did:

Local Grocery Store
1 Dozen Eggs (Had to use raincheck. Saving these for Easter)
3.25 lbs of Bananas
5lbs of Oranges
1 package of Hamburger Buns
2 Gallons of Baby Water
Total=$11.38
Total Savings=$.50! (Sad!)

Gas Station
3 Gatorades
Total=$3.24

Grand Total for the Week: $14.62

And can you believe I didn't go to Walgreens or CVS? :)

How did your week go? Did anyone snag any great deals? Did anyone else live off of what they had? Share with us your adventures and leave a link or comment! :)

Week in Review: Sales w/o Coupons

So I always post decent shopping trips but here's one that wasn't so great. I've had a rough week and haven't had time to plan like I normally do. I went with a list I threw together in two minutes and didn't have time to clip coupons. But I did manage to stick to things that were at a decent sale price. Three years ago, I would have thought I did well. But when you are used to seeing your total $40 or less, $60 about makes your grab your heart. Here's what I ended up with:

Local Grocery & Drug Store
10 Spices
3 lbs of hamburger
2 Packs of Bacon
2 Packs of Farmland Hot Dogs
1 Pkg of TP
2 Ramen noodles
2 lbs of grapes
3 lb bag of apples
2 lbs of bananas
1 lb of tomatoes
1 bag of rice
1 container of salsa
1 bag of Pretzel crisps
1 jar of La Choy soy sauce
1 container of La Choy chow mein
1 container of La Choy noodles
10 containers of yogurt
2 container of sour cream
2 bags of No Yolks noodles
2 cans of kidney beans
2 cans of black beans
1 bottle of parmesan cheese
1 can of spaghetti sauce

Total: $60.42. Used only 2-$.50 coupons.

The great thing is, I think my stockpile is good enough to just need basics for most of April.

Week in Review: Jewel & Wags Trips

Since I have a decent stockpile now, I only needed a few staples for the week. This left me a little extra money to cash in on Jewel's cereal/milk deal and use a raincheck I had at Walgreens for the Glade. Here's what I ended up with:

Jewel Picture

Jewel #1 (I split my order)
4 Bags of Doritos (BOGO)
2 Dean's Dips (On sale - Used $1/2Q)
Ortega Taco Shells
2.5lbs of grapes (BOGO)
2.5lbs of bananas
5lbs of Green Giant Potatoes (sale)
4 boxes of Rice Krispies
4 boxes of Corn Pops
2 boxes of Jumbo Multi-Grain Rice Krispies (all part of the cereal sale)
1 jar of dill pickles (rang up wrong so I got it for FREE)
Total: $12.75. Used $16 from cheese catalinas. Earned 3 free milk catalinas

Transaction #2
8 boxes of Poptarts (Used 2-$1/2Qs)
2 boxes of Nutri Grain Bars(Used 1-$1/2Q)
3 Gallons of Milk (Used 3 free catalinas)
Total: $12.37

Grand Total for Jewel: $25.12. Since I didn't think I'd use all the milk before the catalinas expired, I gave a gallon to my neighbor as she loaned me some spices I ran out of last week! :) The price of the pickles came up higher than the clearance sticker so the cashier gave them to me for free. I also earned $1.80 in Jewel Gas Rewards. (The $1.80 is $.12 off earned per gallon up to 15 gallons = $1.80)

Walgreens Picture

2 Glade Impressions (Used raincheck, BOGO Q, $4ES Q and $4/1 Q)
4 bags of Jelly Beans
4 Peeps
4 Reese Whipps Bars (Used 2-$1/2 Qs)
3 Packs of Trident Gum (Used 3 - $75/1 Qs)
Total: $5.80. Most of these items are for Easter Baskets.

Grand Total of Trips: $30.92.
Reg Price: $146.42 (I misplaced my Wags receipt so I'm guessing on this.)
Total "Savings": $115.50 (I never look at this since I wouldn't buy some of these items if I couldn't get them so cheap.)
Total Earnings Left: $1.80 in Gas Rewards. I'm up to a total of $5.85 off my next gas purchase. (The $1.80 is $.12 off earned per gallon up to 15 gallons = $1.80)

On the Walgreens raincheck, if they are ever out-of-stock on a sale item, make sure you ask for a raincheck. You can always pick it up later and still use your coupons. Also, Jewel has a price guarantee policy--if something rings up higher than advertised, you get it for free. I didn't remember this so it was sweet of the cashier to tell me.

So how did you do? Leave a linky and share your savings!

Week in Review: The Infamous Huggies Trip

Is anyone else having fun over the Huggies deal this week?! Here's what I picked up in my trip out this morning. It's been pouring down rain so it made for an interesting shopping outing! (Note: I include tax in all my totals.)

(If the lingo is confusing, use the legend here.)

Target
5 mega packs of Huggies Gentle Care Sensitive Wipes (Wags was already out of them!)
Total: $5.30 oop. Used 5-$5 off Qs from here.

Walgreens #1 and #2 (I went to two stores.)
4 Packs of Huggies Natural Fit Diapers
2 Packs of Huggies Gentle Care Diapers
4 Glade Impressions
4 Glade Sense & Sprays
2 Coffee Mates
Total: $24.94 oop. Earned $20 in RRs. (I had to buy the Natural Fit as some woman bought 40 packs within 40 minutes of them opening, wiping out all the stock!!) I ran the Huggies/Glade deal here, using those coupons. I did switch out some $5s for $3s, though, or it would have been $8 cheaper.

Jewel
7 Bags of 2% Shredded Kraft Cheese (Used this deal here.)
3 Roma frozen pizzas
2 Gallons of Milk
2 Loaves of Sara Lee Bread
6 Starkist Tuna Pouches (Used this deal here, since they were still on sale!)
2.5 lbs of grapes
3 lbs of bananas
1 head of lettuce
Total: $11.00 even. I earned $13 OYNO Qs. I used the $20 in RRs from above. Plus 2 Sara Lee Bread/Milk Qs and Vocal Point Qs for Starkist. (If only I had blinkies for the cheese!)

Grand Totals:
Total Spent: $41.24.
Total Left to Spend on Future Purchases: $13.00
Rebates: $4.50 coming from Caregiver's Marketplace.
Total "Savings": $218.19 (w/ $13 left to spend and $4.50 in rebates!)

OK, now's your turn. I know you all have to have some great shopping trips for the freebie deals and Huggies. Leave a link and share! :)

Week in Review: Jewel, Target & CVS Trip

This week, I actually made two trips! Sunday, our Jewel has a crazy one day sale so I stopped there, Target and CVS to make the most of my gas money. Then Tuesday, our local store put out some great coupons, good there for one week only. So I went out to grab the items before they were gone! Here's what I got:


Jewel
2 Jimmy Dean Turkey Products
2 Boxes of Pop-Tarts
1-4.3lb of Jennie-O Premium Turkey Breast
1-5lb of Jennie-O Premium Turkey Breast
6 Blocks of Jewel Cheese
1 Bag of Tostitos
1 Yoplait Yo-Plus
1-6pk of 7Up Bottles (not pictured)
1-8lb bag of Oranges
3lbs of Bananas
Total: $10.21. (Used $20 in OYNO coupons) I also got a raincheck for the Starkist Tuna deal here.



Target
2 Hillshire Farms Lunchmeat
3 Yoplait Plus Yogurts
1 pkg of construction paper
1 business card holder (to be used for this here)
3 recipe card holders
1 filing tote bag (holds file folders)
1 children's book (for Easter basket)
1 monkey rug (Nathan bought all monkey stuff w/ $2 Tater Thursdays money)
1 monkey pillow
1 monkey journal
3 farm animals (for Easter basket)

Total: $29.82. Most of this expense came from the filing tote bag. This purchase broke down like this: $4.50 from groceries, $22.32 from personal/Tater's $ and $3 from holiday $.


CVS
1 Carnation Instant Breakfast
1 Musical Giraffe (for Nana's Mother's Day gift from Kaydi)
1 Kotex
1 Self Magazine (full of CVS coupons!)
1 Crayola Valentines (A $.35 project later!)

Total: $1.26. Earned $4.99ECBs. (I had to use $10ECB that I realized was expiring!)
See other CVS Superstars here!


Local Grocery Store
3lbs of apples
5lbs of grapes
1 gallon of milk
3 bottles of Xtra Detergent (never tried it but for $1 each, I'll try it!)
1 bag of Azteca flour tortillas
1 dozen large eggs
1 box of cookies
2 boxes of Frosted Flakes
5 Oscar Meyer Bolognas
1-96oz. of Minute Maid Orange Juice

Total: $25.81. I also got a raincheck for Armour Meatballs so I can use the Free pasta coupon I got in Sunday's paper.

Grand Totals:
Personal/Holiday- $25.32
Grocery/Household-$41.78
Grand Total Spent-$67.10. This is for weekly groceries/stockpile, household items, Easter basket items, organizational tools for kitchen/office and Tater's own spending.
Total "Savings"-$99.32. Earned $4.99ECB, CVS Coupons and picked up 2 great rainchecks.

Still not the best trip but I'll take it. :)

Week in Review: Jewel & CVS Trip

To say I don't get out much is true. I've only been out once this week. I did OK, I suppose. Considering I saved $$ on gas by staying home, it was a good week. Here's what I got:

CVS
1 pk. of Kid Essentials
1-12oz. can of formula
2 Dr. Peppers
1 Suave Shampoo

Total = $4.43. Reg Price: $33.65. I changed my "game plan" last minute when a $10/$50 Q printed. I saved that for later along with a few other planned purchases and used some freebie coupons instead, since a few were expiring.



Jewel
11 cans of Progresso Soup
4.6 lbs of Fresh Catfish
2 gallons of milk
2 loaves of bread
1 dozen eggs
1 Yoplait Yo-Plus yogurt
2 boxes of Van de Kamps fish
1 bag of frozen meatballs
2 bottles of hot sauce (BOGO deal)
1 lb of apples
2.5 lbs of grapes
1.6 lbs of bananas
2 Hillshire Farms lunchmeats
1 pkg of Cesar dog food (freebie)
1 box of Kashi Bars (freebie from Vocal Point)
1 box of Russell Stovers chocolates (for Nathan's library teacher)

Total: $55.59. Earned $10 OYNO coupon. Reg Price = $110.43.

This trip really aggravated me. Jewel used to take Dominick's coupons but they flip/flop back and forth now whether they do. It cost me another $5 because they said no this time. I also left another $10 OYNO coupon I got earlier at home. I should have only paid $40.59, earning $10, but I still did OK. I guess now I have $20 of "free" groceries for weeks to come.

How did you do? Leave us a comment or linky.

Week in Review: CVS Trip

I made a little venture out to CVS on Monday. I was only going out for a couple things but when I got a $5/$30 coupon, I thought I'd make the most of it. Here's what I ended up with:

2 Colgate Total Advance Toothpastes
1 8 Roll of Bounty
1 9 Roll of Charmin Ultra-Strong
2 Neutrogena Soaps
2 Johnson & Johnson Pads with Neosporin

Total: $18.57. Got back $21.98 in ECBs. (I used $1 ECB and $11.50 in Qs.)

What's funny is, I technically made money, but I still know that I could have done better. But when you have two little kids and can't make many trips, you sometimes settle for making just a little bit. :)

Week in Review: Jewel, Wags & CVS Trips (This Week)

Since there was an abundance of deals this week, I thought I could justify the cost of gas to run into town to pick up a bunch. I like to add Regular Prices so you can see what some people who don't shop sales and who don't use coupons would pay. But I never pay full-price for these things. Here's what I got:

Jewel
4 boxes of South Beach Living Bars
10 Gallons of Baby Nursery Water (not pictured)

Total: $6 OOP, Got a $3 OYNO coupon. (I also had a $5 OYNO that I used on the waters.) I think Reg Price is around $34.

Walgreens: I went to 3 stores, doing two transactions at each. The first one, I'd buy the Fusion Razor and then I'd use my $6RRs on the other items. (Ironically, it's quicker to go to 3 stores, than run all transactions at one store.)Since we go through olives like water, I bought up a bunch of them. They are my favorites and were on sale and I was out. I also picked up some crab meat to make this dip for upcoming parties.

3 Fusion Power Gamer Razors
2 Chicago Trib papers w/ coupon inserts
1 Cold Stone Creamery Chocolates on discount (for my Mom for Valentine's)
3 Progresso Soups ($.15 each after coupon!)
9 cans of Lindsay Olives
4 cans of crab meat

Total: $18.31 plus tax. (Reg Price $72)

CVS
Aspirin ($1.99 plus $1.99 ECBs back)
CVS Mouth Rinse (Free)
1 Chicago Tribune ($1.99)
Total: $.48 (Used ECBs I had) I also earned $1.99 back. Reg Price around $6.

Grand Total for all stores: $24.79. Earned $3 for Jewel and $1.99 for CVS. Plus 3 more sets of coupons!! Reg Price around $112.

Note: I never subtract earnings off my grand total. This can lead you to double count them!

Week in Review: JCPenney & Meat Sales (Last Week)

Last week was so crazy that I didn't get up my shopping posting. Here's what I picked up:

JCPenny

I had budgeted some money for running wear. These are specially made clothing that keeps the sweat off and keeps you cold/warm accordingly. I hit a huge JCP Clearance sale and cleaned up! Usually, these clothes are $25-45 each. Here's what I got:

2 short-sleeved shirts
2 long-sleeved shirts
1 jacket
1 hoodie with reflective pieces
1 pr. of pants

Total: $47 (Reg Price $214)

I now have a full summer/winter running wardrobe, aside from a pair of shorts.

Meat Sales: They've been having HUGE meat sales around here. Good thing I finally had some open freezer space. I didn't get pictures as I was trying to get them in Ziplocs and in the freezer quickly! Always having meat on hand means I can come up a recipe without having to call for carry-out because I forgot to pick up the meat.

Dominicks
20 lbs of 93% lean ground beef @ $1.99lb (Normally $4.79 around here!)
6 bags of Kraft shredded cheese @ $1.99 bag

Used $10/$50 Dominick's coupon
Used 6 - $.75 off Kraft coupons

Total: $37.24. (Reg Price $113)

Local Grocery Stores
5 lbs of center cut pork chops @ $1.39lb.
5 lb pork roast @ $1.49lb.
6 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts @ $1.79lb.
Also got a raincheck for 20lbs of chicken leg quarters for $.39lb.

Total: $32.89 (included raincheck) I'm not sure the Reg Price as I never buy these unless they are about this cheap.

Week in Review: Target Outing

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted one of these. After having Kaydi, I've been mostly focusing on just staying within our grocery budget and I haven't been running out for any deals, except for diapers/formula. But, here's my latest Target deal run.

Target
College Hoodie
Shoes for Nathan
6 Boxes of Special K Bars (w/ free samples of Protein water in them!)
2 Boxes of Kashi Bars
1 Fiber One Bars 2pk.
1 Fiber One Toaster Pastries
1 Crest Weekly Clean
2 Ocean Spray Juices

Grand Total? $11.25 (Most of the expense was on the shirt/shoes.) I don't want to say that I saved a certain amount because I'd never buy these things if I couldn't get them for next to nothing. But HAD I bought all of them at full price, it would have been around $63.

I love having the Special K and Kashi bars on hand for those mornings I have my hands full with the kids and I just need something to eat until I can finally sit down. They are also so perfect to throw in my diaper bag or purse in case I'm out and get a hunger pain. It keeps me from spending unnecessary money on something until I can eat a good meal at home.

How did you do this week? Leave us a link to your blog so we can see your Super Savings, too!

UPDATE: I was asked how I got these prices. So I tried to remember the prices/coupons and put that info. in the comments field.

Week in Review: Jewel, Target, CVS and Wags

This is just one picture of my weekly deals I picked up. A few, I was too tired to take pictures of! Here's what I got:

CVS
2 Candy Corn Mixes
6 Bags of Halloween Candy
2 Infant Tylenol Medicine
1 Sunday Paper
Total= $3.50. Used $10ECBs.

Walgreens 1-2 Transactions
2 Boxes of Celestial Seasonings Tea
6 Wrigley Gums
13 bags of Halloween Candy
4 bags of Caramels (in Halloween area)
1 25oz. can of Goodstart Formula
Total=$26.49

Target 1-2 Transactions
1 Gerber Bottle
3 Pledge Items
1 Wheelie Truck Book (got for free)
4 Glade Candles
Total=$6.52 Earned $5 rebate and have a $5GC left to spend. (used in transaction below)

Jewel
Celery Hearts
Cream Cheese
2 Sunday Newspapers
Total=$4.57

Grand Total= $41.08 for meds, formula, Pledge, Glade Candles, LOTS of Halloween candy for baking, eating and gifts, one book, snacks and 3 Sunday papers with LOTS of coupons. Earned $5 rebate and $5GC left-over. (Comparison? For those of you whom don't know, ONE can of formula is $26!!)

Later Transactions not pictured:
Jewel
3 Progresso Chicken Broths
4 Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mixes
8 Hunt's Tomato Sauces
6 Rold Gold Crushed/Diced Tomatoes
4 Tubs of Betty Crocker Frosting
3 Progresso Soups
6 Knorr Sides with Veggies
1 Pkg of Halloween Napkins
3 Ziploc/Hefty Halloween Storage Bags
2 lbs. of Bananas
2 bags of Fresh Express Salad
1 Lickins Cat Treats
Total $26.52. Earned $15 in OYNO coupons and $2 in Holiday Bucks. ($9.52 for all those items, which were what the last 5 items cost!!! I was able to get everything else FREE!)

Wal-Mart
26 bags of Green Giant Steamers Veggies!!
Hefty Trash Bags
Glad Kitchen Trash Bags
24 pack of Toilet Paper
1 4-pk of Light Bulbs
2 3-way Light Bulbs
8 Rolls of Paper Towels
1 Box of Nestle Hot Cocoa Mix
1 box of Idaho Mashed Potatoes
2 Cream of Mushroom Soups
2 Cans of Olives
Total=$38.22. Comparison? This is about the normal cost of just the veggies alone!

Target #3-5
9 Pledge Items
12 Glade Candles
Total= $4.13. Still have $10 in GCs to use.

Grand Total for "not pictured" items = $68.87. I earned $17 in Jewel coupons and have $10 left to spend at Target. I'm fully stocked up on baking items, household items, veggies, tomatoes for chili/casserole recipes and I have lots of Pledge/Glade to use for gift baskets. If only I could have found better deals on trash bags and paper products! Maybe next time!!

I allowed myself to spend more these last two weeks because with the baby coming, I won't be getting out the last week of November. I want to make sure we are fully stocked up on everything before then! In the end, I'll stay within my monthly grocery/baby/household budget for November.

Our main fridge/freezer and deep freezer are stocked FULL. As are my 2- 6 cube storage units! I'm set for just picking up the basics for months to come! :) Which is a good thing because shopping with a toddler and newborn is not on my list of fun things to do!!

Week in Review: Wal-Mart Trip

So Friday, Nathan and I ventured out for the first time during the week, aside from the Dr's appt. Neither of us was feeling that great so I figured Wal-Mart would be the best place to get everything and I wanted to use my Green Giant Steamers coupons! I'm sure if I had more time and energy, I could have saved a lot more but some weeks, you just have to take care of yourself and do the best you can!

Here's what we ended up with:

Groceries
13 bags of Green Giant Steamers
8 cans of Rold Gold Diced Tomatoes
3 Voila Meals
3 Gallons of Milk
5 lbs. of Chicken Wings
6 lbs of Bananas (Freezing some for cereal and smoothies!)
1.2 lbs of Apples
1 lb of Grapes
1 Jack's Frozen Pizza
1 Dozen Eggs
1 Package of Cream Cheese
2 cans of Hunt's Tomato Sauce
2 cans of Evaporated Milk
1 Box of Carnation Instant Milk
1 Gallon of Vegetable Oil
1 Can of Shortening
Corn Muffin Mix
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Monkey Bread
Cinnamon Rolls

Total: $60.23

Household Items
2 Diaper Genie Refills (Geez these are expensive!!)
3 Bags of Good Bites Dog Treats
3 Bags of Canine Carryout Treats
1 Infant Tylenol (If only he could use the Children's Tylenol I have!)
3 Boxes of Kleenex
Total: $27.60

Grand Total: $87.83. Yes, my heart stopped when the total came up. But I did save $40 in coupons alone (not including sales.) $40 is a whole week's worth of groceries in savings!

I now have some great convenience meals for when the baby's born, along with some quick veggies I can heat up. I picked up some baking items I was low on. And I have some items to finish up the things I am going to make for freezer cooking this next week. Rich already whipped up three batches of chicken wings and I froze two of them. We're on our way to having our meals ready!

It definitely is NOT my best shopping trip in about 6 months but I went to one store and got home so we could rest. To me, that's priceless right now! :)

When we made our November budget, we agreed to up our monthly grocery budget from $160 to $200 this month. Convenience meals are pricier and with the baby coming, I won't be able to get in as good of deal shopping for a few weeks.

Week in Review: Walgreens and CVS Trips

I could not get over how many deals I wanted to do this weekend! Since I hate doing more than two transactions per store, I hit a couple of them today. Cashiers get frazzled trying to figure out the rolling of RRs and ECBs and the lines back up which I never want to be the culprit for! (The great thing about Chicago...many, many Walgreens & CVS stores within a 1 mile radius!)

Since my Mom is going to be around this weekend and doesn't have a CVS, I did one transaction on her card for her to earn her some ECBs. I buy up some deals for her and she pays me when I see her. It's kind of fun. (I always say...here's your bag full of treasures...and that will be $3!) Here's what I ended up with:

Walgreens #1-2
4 bags of Nabisco Ritz crackers
2 St Ives Scrubs
1 Fusion Power Razor
1 Loreal Advanced Lift Lotion
1 Loreal Night/Eye Cream
1 Pert Plus
2 Lindt Chocolate Bars

Used Coupons: BOGO for St Ives, 1- $2 off St Ives, 4-$1/1 Ritz, 1 $4 off Fusion Razor, 2- $2 off Loreal, 1- $2 Pert Plus, 1- $2.50 ES Pert Plus, 1 BOGO Lindt, 1- $.75 off Lindt, 1 ES $2 off Lindt. (I love how Wags lets you stack their coupons!)

Earned $9RRs (which I used) and put $21.43 on a Gift Card I earned last week. I can turn in the L'Oreal for a $16.49 ES rebate. (hidden deal this month)

Walgreens #3-4
2 St Ives Scrubs
2 Lindt Chocolate Bars
1 Fusion Power Razor
1 Tigger Marshmellow Sucker (a filler item for Nathan)

Used Coupons: BOGO for St Ives, 1-$2 St Ives, 1 BOGO Lindt, 1 $.75 off Lindt, 1 ES $2 off Lindt and 1 $4 off Fusion Razor.

Earned $6RRs. Used $2RRs for the transaction. Put $5.14 on GC.

Walgreens #5-6
2 St Ives Scrubs
2 Lindt Chocolate Bars
1 Fusion Power Razor

Used Coupons: 2- $2 St Ives tear-pads, 1 BOGO Lindt, 1 ES $2 off Lindt, 1 $4 off Fusion Razor.

Earned $6RRs. Used $2RRs for the transaction (and $4 from prior transaction). Put $3.38 on GC and $3.73 cash. Still have $4 in RRs left.

Overall for Wags = $3.73OOP. Earned $16.49 in rebates and have $4RRs left to spend.

CVS #1-2
2 Butler/Gum Toothbrush 2pks.
3 Excedrin
1 Powerade
2 Brach's Candy
1 Just for Men Haircolor
2 Pumpkin Pails
2 Funlights

Used Coupons: 2-$.75 off Butler/Gum toothbrushes, 3-$2 off Excedrin, $1 off Powerade and $2 off Just for Men and $3/$15 CVS coupon.

Earned: $24.20 in ECBs. Used $9.67ECBs on this order. Also earned 2 - $1.99 Excedrin rebates (one goes to my Mom) and 1 - $8 Just for Men rebates.

Total OOP = $5.79

CVS #3-4
1 Excedrin
5 Playskool Baby Wipes
1 Colgate Max Beads Toothpaste
2 Listerine Agent Blue Mouthwashes
1 J&J Baby Shampoo
2 J&J Baby Washes
3 Gerber Baby Foods

Used Coupons: 1- $2 Excedrin, 2- $1 Playskool wipes, 2-$1 Colgate Max Beads (one was CVS CRT), 2- $1 Agent Blues and 1 $3/3 J&J products.

Earned: $18 in ECBs. Used ECBs from prior order and $8 from this order. Earned another Excedrin rebate for my sister.

Total OOP= $7.20

CVS #5 - Mom's Card
1 Powerade
2 Candy Corns
Total = $3.44 OOP. Earned her $4.27 in ECBs. Used a $1/1 Powerade coupon.

Overall for CVS: $16.43 OOP. Earned $13.96 in rebates and still have $10ECBs left to spend on my card and my Mom has $4.27.

Grand Totals for the Day: $20.16 OOP, have $4 in RRs and $14.27 in ECBs left and earned $30.45 in rebates.

I am regularly sending rebates and doing deals for my family. Not everyone loves running deals like we do so I help them out. Maybe someday they'll catch the "fever," too! We all have our "trades." Currently, my sister is making me a homemade coupon bag. A nice exchange for the items I picked up for her!! :)

How did you do? Leave your blog link or a comment to share your great trip! We all love to marvel at how much we can get for very little $$!