Monday, December 29

Unplanned Walgreens Run 12/29

*not pictured...Gatorade*
**razor, travel shampoo and shaving gel in Bonus Packs**

Well, I had to run out to get some Motrin & Gatorade for my dd. =) I was planning on getting the Gillette shavers deal and also the free body wash...all for the hubby. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found! I ended up finding the Bonus sets....some where way up high on the top of the shelf. Just fyi...keep a look out! I just had my rebates being processed...so I didn't have my gift card reloaded.

I did this transaction 4 times (My husband should be set for AWHILE w/ this purchase!)

$8.99 Bonus pack of Fusion Razor
-4.00 P&G Fusion Razor Q
$4.50 Gillette Body Wash (on sale 2/$9)
-4.50 Free w/ Razor Purchase Q
$1.05 tax
$6.04 OOP ( get $3 RR x 4)

**I wish that I could've used the $3 to roll into...but with Walgreens, you cannot use the RR from the deal to roll into the next deal...the RR will not print. =( So, higher OOP, but this is an insane price for 4 body washes...usually 2 for $9 and 4 razors...usually $8.99 or higher!

$24.16 OOP total for the Shaving/Body Wash
$45.96 savings!

Medicine/Gatorade Transaction
$6.99 Motrin (left printable at home! BOO HOO)
$1.99 Gatorade
+0.20 CRV
-3.00 RR from above
-3.00 RR from above
$0.54 tax
$3.62 OOP

$6.00 savings!

Total: $27.78 OOP, got $12 in RR, used $6 RR, $51.96 savings!!

Saturday, December 27

Monthly Totals Breakdowns (Dec 2008)

I will more than likely not be going to Walgreens/CVS or the Grocery Store until later this week...Probably will be in the new year! Here are my deals from December! Hope you got in on some of the good deals!

Grocery Store Budget $250.00
I know I did not do a very good job of keeping track of my receipts from this month. I checked our bank account and found that we were around $220.00 (rounded) and I know that we spent about $5 more dollars in cereal...etc. So I'm saying we probably were around $225. This is just unbelievable considering we had family in town for a week and I cooked almost every night. I pulled from my stockpile for most of the meals! I'm just amazed....and so excited that I have been able to keep under budget and still have decent meals/prepared meals on the table every night (except on Sat...for the most part!)

Sometimes I think it's crazy that I have 11 boxes of unopened cereal, 4 boxes of opened cereals...but 13 of them cost me less than $5 oop! However, my growing daughter loves having cereal for breakfast and she can eat almost 2 bowls half of the time (granted they are kiddie bowls...but the cereal goes fast!) I just can't believe what I used to pay for everything! I can't thank some of the frugal blogging women enough for the amazing encouragement and deals they work so hard on to provide for us that seek it. =) Here are my drug store finds!

Key:
Things we use daily
Useful Items/Food Items
Things I got due to sale/making money/almost free
Bonus - Things I wouldn't normally buy...but glad I got them for free or pennies!

CVS ~ Total OOP: $9.99
Total savings: $87.04
ECB's Used: $51.43
ECB's Earned: $48.64
ECB's On hand: $9.99 plus $6.78 on gc

Items Bought:
2 Boxes Contact Solution
5 Packs of batteries
1 First Aid Kit
1 Maybelline Mascara
1 Maybelline lip product
1 Earinse
1 Excedrin pills
1 Edge Power bar
1 Degree Deodorant
1 Loreal Eyeshadow
1 Crest Toothpaste

Walgreens ~ Total OOP: $2.44

Total on GC: $10.99

Total Rebate Due: $7.70
Register Rewards on hand: $0

Items Bought:
2 Bic Soleil Razor Systems
2 Soleil refills
2 Ultra Clean Toothbrushes
2 Pampers wipes
6 Airwick Candles
4 Boxes Reynolds Foils
2 Maybelline Lip Glosses
4 Bags of Candy
1 Mini Puzzle (stocking stuffer!)
2 3pks of Scotch Tape
2 Oil of Olay Face Cleansers
1 Box of Turtles Chocolates

Monday, December 22

$2.22 OOP, but No Arm & Hammer!

Well, I really wanted to try the Arm & Hammer Essentials for free and make money on them. Unfortunately, I went a tad bit too late. =( It's okay...I still got some deals and I really needed to get the hubby some deodorant. Here are the breakdowns:

Transaction #1
$2.99 Crest toothpaste
-1.00 Crest Q
$3.69 Degree Deodorant
-5.00 Ecb's
$0.13 tax
$0.81 OOP

Get back $2 ecb's Crest, $1 for Degree

Transaction #2
$3.99 Excedrin
-2.00 Excedrin Q
$7.99 HIB Loreal eyeshadow (wrong one, was more expensive!)
$1.69 Edge Power Bar
-9.99 ecb's
$0.15 tax
$1.83 OOP

Got $3.99 ecb's for excedrin, $1.69 for Edge (If if would've had the right shadow, I would've had $6.99 ecb's also and only about $0.83 oop.)

Got to the car and realized that I didn't get the right eyeshadow b/c it didn't print out my ecb's! Sigh, so I went back in to fix it.

The fix:
$8.61 refund $1.83 cash, $6.78 on Gift card

$6.99 the correct shadow
-1.69 ecbs
-3.99 ecbs
$0.10 tax
$1.41 OOP plus $6.99 ecb's and $ 6.78 on gift card! Wahoo...not bad considering I had to blow some Ecb's on deodorant and they didn't have the essentials or benefiber. =)

OOP calculation:
$0.81
+1.83
-1.83 refund
+1.41
$2.22

Now I have $6.99, $2 and $1 in ecb's plus $6.78 on gift card.

Tuesday, December 16

Ralph's Sale ~ 9 days 12/17-12/25

4 for $10 ~ Coca-cola products

$0.99 ea ~ Sweet Tropical Pineapple

$3.97/lb ~ Boneless New York Steak

$0.99/lb ~ Granny Smith, Red or Golden Delicious Apples

BOGO ~ Fresh Raspberries or Blackberries (4.4 oz-6 oz)

2 for $4 ~ Nabisco Snack Crackers & Keebler Town House Crackers

$1.79 ~ C&H Baking Sugar - Confectioners or Brown (32 oz/2 lbs)
-$0.35/1 11/16 RP doubles to $0.70
=$1.09 for 2 lbs

$2.50 ~ Rice Krispies & Corn Chex
-$1.00/1 12/14 RP Rice Krispies or Crispix
-$1.00/1 11/09 RP Rice Krispies
=$3 for 2 Rice Krispies

-$1.00/2 any Chex Cereal 11/09 RP
=$4 for 2 Corn Chex

$2.49 ~ Kellogg's Pop Tarts - 12 count

2 for $4 ~ Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
-$1.00/2 11/09 RP Eagle Brand Canned Milk
-$0.55/1 11/09 RP Eagle Brand Canned Milk, dbls to $1
=$3 for 2 with 1st Q
=$1 for 1 with 2nd Q

2 for $7 ~ El Monterey Quesadillas
-$1.00/1 09/14 SS El Monterey Nat. Soft Tacos or Quesadillas
=$2.50 ea

4 for $10 ~ Healthy Choice & Marie Callender's Entree
-b5g1 free Healthy Choice Entrees 10/19 SS
=$10 for 5

2 for $3 ~ Philadelphia Cream Cheese
-$1.00/3 12/07 SS Phil. Cream Cheese = $3.50 for 3
-$0.55/2 12/07 SS Phil. Cream Cheese = $2.00 for 2
-$0.20/2 12/07 SS Phil. Cream Cheese= $2.60 for 2

$0.59 ea Ralphs Corn, Peas or Cut Green Beans

4 for $3 ~ Campbell's Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup
-$1.00/4 11/09 SS any cooking soups = $2 for 4
-$0.35/4 11/09 SS any cooking soups = $2.30 for 4
**check coupon bar on bottom right of page...might be more Campbell's Q's!**

$9.99 ~ Huggies Diapers
-$1.00/1 any Huggies 12/07 SS = $8.99 per pack
(might be able to load up from Shortcuts.com another $1. I have to check and get back to you!)

Monday, December 15

CVS & Walgreens Run

**CVS**

I wanted to get the Earinse while it was still free after ECB's. And since I used 2 out of 3 of my $4 Maybelline Q's at Wags for overage. I had one more to use! Worked out great! I found a lip product marked 50% off! Perfect...to match the BOGO this week! Wahoo... Here is the breakdown!

$9.99 - Earinse
$4.99 - Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
-1.00 - $1/1 Maybelline Mascara
$3.99 - Maybelline Lip product
-3.99 - BOGO
-4.00 - $4/1 Maybelline Q
-8.99 - ECB's
$0.46 tax
$1.45 OOP

Earn $9.99 ecb's for the earinse.

Basically the cosmetics were free!

**Walgreens**

I heard about the $15 P&G gift card if you purchase 2 Olay Regenerist, Moneysaving Mom has the deal here.

I use the product personally and love it! So hopefully it will make me money! Here is the breakdown.

$7.49 - One Olay Cleanser
$3.00 - One Olay Cleanser - buy one, get one 50% ***SEE BELOW***
-5.00 - $5/2 Cleaners from this weeks P&G
$0.99 - Turtles
-1.50 - $1.50/1 Turtles (only let one Q, but $.50 overage!)
$0.59 - candy, filler to use RR
-5.00 - RR from last week
$0.43 tax
$1.00 OOP

I have already completed my form to send for the $15 gift card. (SMILING)

**This should have been $3.75...I wasn't sure if it was actually included in the bogo50% b/c it said save $9.99 - $29.99 on the tags and they were not that much. However, it was a regenerist product. So she did it (and said, I gave it to you from less!) and let my Q go through with overage, so I'm not complaining. =)

Thursday, December 11

Ralph's 12/10-12/16 * In progress

FREE Items this week:

(10 for $10 Mix & Match)

$1 Sure deodorant $1/1 IP (here)
(Make sure to hit the back arrow to print out the 2 you are allowed to print!)

$1 LifeSavers ~ 10/19 SS $1/1 bag

$1 Daisy Sour Cream ~ 11/16 SS $.50/1, will double to $1
note: if you have more than one Q, you will have to do multiple transactions to get the Q to double. If you try to buy 2 or more, only the first Q will double and the rest will just be $0.50 = face value.
*the 2 sour creams I got free*

Other Deals:
$1 - Fresh Express Garden, Shreds or Coleslaw
-$0.55/1 Fresh Express Salad Blend 12/07 SS (says do not double, not sure if it would!)
= $0.45 each

$2 - Kraft Cool Whip
-$0.75/1 Cool Whip, dbl to $1 12/07 SS
=$1 each

$1 - Hunts (variety) tomatoes

$1 - Steamfresh Frozen Veggies

Super Cheap Cereal @ Vons!

Mix & Match Sale:

Buy 5 Cereals, get $5 instant savings....combine w/ $1 Q = cheap!

$2.29 Corn Flakes/Frosted Flakes ($1 instant savings, $1 Kelloggs Q = $0.29 ea)
$2.99 Kelloggs Special K ($0.99 each after savings)
$2.88 Smart Start ( $0.88 each after savings)
$2.49 Mini Wheats ($0.49 after savings)

Here's My Plan:

$2.29 Frosted Flakes
$2.29 Frosted Flakes
$2.29 Frosted Flakes
$2.49 Mini Wheats
$2.49 Mini Wheats
-5.00 in $1/1 Q's (manu & IPs)
-5.00 Instant Savings
$1.85 for 5 Cereals!

IP can be found thru Money Saving Mom (here)

Wednesday, December 10

CVS Trip 12/10!


Here is my CVS Haul from tonight. Not too bad! Free Contact Solution & First Aid Kit! I had to get our Christmas Cards that I ordered. It said they were $0.48 but our bank was charged $1. Not really going to argue that. They are not that bad. I thought they were going to have an inside, but they are just postcard like. Oh well! That's what I get for paying $1 for 30 of them! HA!

The Breakdown:

Transaction #1
$8.99 Contact Solution
-8.99 ECB's
FREE
Get $8.99 in ECB's back!

Transaction #2
$8.99 Contact Solution (limit 2)
-2.00 Contact Solution Q
$0.99 First Aid Kit
-1.00 CVS First Aid Kit Q
$3.00 Batteries ($3.00 towards $15.00, get $5 ECBs)
-8.99 ECB's from Trans #1
$0.23 tax
$0.47 OOP!
Get $8.99 ECB's from Contact Solution

Transaction #3
$12.00 - 4 sets of batteries
- 3.79 - Ecbs from prior week
$0.64 tax
$5.85 OOP!
Get $5 ECB's for Duracell Deal

It was so cute...the lady that checked me out said this after the last transaction, "Hon, that's more than you usually spend!" She is so sweet. I said I know...I am conserving my ecbs for the next couple of weeks with the free after ecb's deals!

Conclusion:
$6.32 Total OOP
Gained over a buck in Ecbs = $13.99 in Ecb...Need to roll them more!! =)
Got 5 sets of batteries, 2 Contact solutions & a first aid kit for my purse/diaper bag!

Sunday, December 7

My Walgreens Trip 12/10

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
**DON'T FORGET:The Bic Soleil Deal is rumored to last until 12/27**

The are marked BOGO on the shelf....Use $3.00 off a Razor & Refill.

$6.99 Razor or refill
$6.99 Razor or refill
-6.99 BOGO
-3.00 off Razor Q
-3.00 off Refill Q
=$0.99 for both the razor system & Refill!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Well, there were some disappointments and a great deal that I found at my trips to Walgreens tonight. Disappointments: The A&H detergent was not on sale for $1.99. And the Imodium had a tag from Walgreens saying, they were sorry for the misprint in the ad...they are in fact. $10.99 Boo Hoo...That would have been a great money maker! Good news: I found Airwicks Vanilla Flameless candle on clearance sale for $2.74 each! Are you kidding me...I had 4 - $3.00 off and 3 - $5.00 Q's with me! (I still have one more $5 to get one free at Target this week too!) So I took all they had in stock...6 of them! Wahoo!!! Here is the breakdown.

Store #1



$16.44 - 6 Airwick Candles @ $2.74 each! (thought I might get overage...didn't, oh well!)
-16.00 - Q's (they wouldn't allow more overage...$.44 I'll pay for 6!)

$ 1.98 - 2 Reynolds wraps w/ in-ad Q
- 2.00 - 2 $1 Q's (FREE!)

$10.00 - 4 bags of Hershey's kisses and reeses cups (for Christmas cookies)
- 1.50 - 1 $1.50/3 Q ($8.50-$5 rebate = $3.50 for 4)

$ 0.69 - mini puzzle
- .30 - in-ad q (stocking stuffer for daughter)

$11.98 - 2 Maybelline lip glosses
- 8.00 - 2 $4/1 q's (Free!)
- 5.99 - wags bogo free sale (overage $2!)

-6.00 - RR from last week
------------------------------
$ 1.30 Subtotal
$1.92 tax
$3.22 OOP -> on giftcard!

Got $5 RR for spending $25!
The breakdown as I see it $3.22-$5RR-$5.50 (5 plus 10%) rebate on Hershey's= $7.28 Profit!
Either way, include RR or not, I still am getting paid for this! =) Love it!

My receipt says $96.89 in Total Savings! (over 90% savings!)

Store #2
(got so excited about the Airwick deal, forgot to get the tape. So I made another stop at the Walgreens closer to home... (SMILING) )


$2.00 - 2 3m 3pk Scotch Tape ($2 Rebate + 10 %)

$1.98 - Reynolds wraps (it's free & I had 2 more Q's)
-2.00 - Reynolds Q's $1/1

$1.98 Sub
+0.31 tax
$2.29 total
-0.85 on gift card (all out now! boo hoo!)
$1.44 OOP!

The breakdown $1.44-$2.20 rebate = $0.76 profit!
My total savings per the receipt: $11.18!

Only spent $1.44 of my actual money on the above 2 transactions! Wahoo!

The below was posted earlier this week!
*************************************************************************************
Word is...on the internet/coupon street is that Walgreens is going to be doing the spend $25, get $5 RR again later this week! I have plotted out my game plan. So, unless you have to go, I would wait to see if they are doing the special 4 day ad at the end of the week. Here is my game plan!

$2.00 - 2 Scotch Tapes (3 pk) ~ get $2 Dec Rebates

$1.98 - 2 Reynolds Wrap Alum. Foil (in-ad Q after MF Q = more overage)
-2.00 - 2 Reynolds Wrap Foil Q's (limit 2, per in-ad Q)

$5.97 - 3 Imodium (Don't need them, or that many!! lol, but it's a MM!)
-3.00 - 3 Imodium Q's ($2.97 in Imodium, but getting back $5 in RR!!!!)
(*just noted: Not sure if this is just our area, in so cal, but other areas in the east are $10.99 ~ found on page 35 and not 29.)


$1.99 - 1 Arm & Hammer Det. (in sale ad at end of week)
-1.00 - $1/1 Arm & Hammer detergent

10.00 - 4 bags of Hershey (for Christmas Cookies)
-1.50 - $1.50/3 Q (get $5.00 in Dec Rebates)

$0.78 - 2 mini puzzles for Daughters stocking (w/ in-ad Q)

$2.50 - Huggies Wipes (to get me to $25!!)
-0.75 - $0.75/1 Huggies Wipes

-4.07 - On Gift Card

-6.00 - In RR from last week!

$1.18 in Tax

$8.08 OOP (might be less w/ Reynold's Qs)

Here is the lowdown on what I should be getting back:
$5 RR for spending $25 before coupons
$5 RR for Imodium Deal

$2 ESR for Dec. for tape
$5 ESR for Dec. for Hersheys
$0.70 Bonus from rebates putting back on Gift card ($5+2+0.70=$7.70 so far)

~ They are paying me to take the stuff out of the store
$8.08 OOP - $10 RR - $ 7.70 in Rebates= overage of $9.62!

I'm on it this week...Menu Planning Monday

~ Monday ~
Spaghetti Night (hamburger)
veggies


~ Tuesday ~
BBQ Pork
w/ Cheesy Cheddar Pasta Side
Veggies


~ Wednesday ~
Chicken Quesadillas
(on Grill or George Foreman)

~ Thursday ~
Leftovers

~ Friday ~
Slowcooker Pork Chops & gravy
(frm Fix it & forget it)

~ Saturday ~
Something easy/
possible pick-up

~ Sunday ~
Chicken Enchilades
(chicken cooked in crock pot)

Stop by
OrgJunkie.com!

Kraft First Taste

Well, I joined the Kraft First Taste (link here). I got my first sample of Jell-O singles! I got 2 of the chocolate samples and we love them. I have yet to see what the prices are at the stores, but plan to check them out. They make the perfect amount for 2 adult servings. I would recommend them if the price is reasonable!

I would sign up if you are interested in getting free samples to try out! I would also recommend that you give them your honest feedback.

Enjoy!

Testing it Out- Homemade Baby Food!


Well, I have been excited about this for weeks! Ralph's had some apples on sale this past week, 3 lbs for $0.99! So we got a bag for me to try and make homemade applesauce for our lil man! Here are the pics. I just put them in the freezer and can't wait to see how they come out. After they freeze, I am going to put them in a ziplock bag, label & date them and throw them in the deep freeze. He isn't quite ready for them yet, but it's just around the corner! So, if you have any helpful hints or tips about making homemade baby food...PLEASE fill me in. I'm stoked at all the possibilities.

The top two trays are apples, the green ~ avacados of course & with them ~ mango puree!

Saturday, December 6

My Kmart Super DoublesTrip!

Just got back from Kmart....So, I had been reading all week about the Super Doubles on Hot Coupon World...some woman had a breeze of a time and some had some issues. I had a slight issue. So crazy! The lady checking me out was nice, however, lied to me....she said all my q's doubled...of course they didn't. Had to go to customer service and get it fixed. I even missed that she shorted me more (didn't scan one Q!)...however, I'm done! Too stressful with the family with ya! Here is what I got!!!

$15.16 -4 dove shampoos & conditioners -$3.79 ea(was to be free)
- 9.00 -in Q Some how!
- 7.71 -refund for the $2 Q's not doubling
+ 2.49 -Baby Spoons
- 2.00 -$1 Doubled
+ 2.99 -UNO game for stocking stuffer for Daughter
+ 3.99 - Gillette Body Wash (had a Q, never got scanned, somehow!)
+ 2.99 - Men's Vaseline Lotion
- 2.50 - $1.25 Doubled
+ 9.00 - 3 downy's fabric softner (big size!!!)
- 5.00 - Instant savings! Wahoo!!!
+ 6.99 - Pampers Baby Wipes
- 2.00 - $1 doubled
+5.00 - 5 BC Cookie mix
- 4.00 - Q's!
+7.50 - 5 BC Frostings
- 5.00 - Q's!
$2.66 tax
$21.56 OOP

Savings of 62%!
22 Items = $0.98 per item average
Total Product Value $56.11
Not exactly what I had planned, but we can use the cheap Downy and we always need wipes!

Walgreens Run Last night

I'm kinda bummed...I didn't realize that the spend $25 get $5 RR was before Taxes...sigh. So I didn't get the extra $5 I planned, but I did get the $6 RR for the Reach toothbrush...Here was the transaction:

$6.99 - Bic Soleil Razor System
0.00 - Bic Soleil Refill (BOGO free)
-3.00 - Q for Razor System
-3.00 - Q for Refill
$6.99 - Bic Soleil Razor System
0.00 - Bic Soleil Refill (BOGO free)
-3.00 - Q for Razor System
-3.00 - Q for Refill
$3.00 - Reach toothbrush
$3.00 - Reach toothbrush
-3.00 - Q Reach, BOGO free
$2.50 - Pampers wipes
$2.50 - Pampers wipes
-5.00 - RR
$1.94 - Tax
$6.92 OOP (on Gift Card, last month's rebates)

Earned $6 in RR from the Reach toothbrushes...I might go back and try it again...I still have another Q for a free toothbrush. =) Spend $3 to get $6! Wahoo...Gotta love a money maker!

Total Savings $38.74

I really needed the wipes, all the other stuff was to get the RR or to get almost free razors. I am still yet to try them. =)

Tuesday, December 2

Menu Planning Monday...A Day Late.

~ Monday ~
Taco Bell
I know!

~ Tuesday ~
Mini Pasta bake
Green Beans

~ Wednesday ~
Grilled Hamburgers
w/ fries

~ Thursday ~
Pork Chops
I'm thinking I want gravy too!
veggies

~ Friday ~
Leftovers or
Chicken salad sandwiches

~ Saturday ~
Something easy
maybe Costco Pizza

~ Sunday ~
Beef enchiladas or
taco salad

Stop by
OrgJunkie.com!

Ralphs 12/3-12/9

Finally another ad! I've been waiting all weekend =) Looks like Ralphs is joining the 8 hour sale bandwagon that Albertsons does....Here are the Deals


Weekly Deals

$3.97 / lb Rib Eye Steak

$1 ea. ~ Lg Tropical Mangos

$1 ea. ~ Cottonelle TP or Bounty Basic Paper Towels (10 for $10)
~Load $.50 from Shortcuts.com on your card and combine with.
+ $0.25/1 Cottonelle 4 pk 11/16 SS (dbs $.50 plus above = FREE)
~Load $0.25 from P&G eSaver on card
= $0.75

$2 ea ~ Kraft Salad Dressing (2 for $4)
~ $1/2 Kraft salad dressing 11/16 SS
=$3 for 2

$1.25 Philadelphia Cream Cheese (4 for $5)
~$0.50/2 (still looking for it) Philly Cream Cheese (dbls to $1)
=$1.50 for 2

$2 Nabisco Snack Crackers (2 for $4)
~$1.00/2 IP here Nabisco crackers

$3 Challenge Butter (16 oz)
~$.50/1 IP (here) - should dbl to $1/1

4 for $8 Post or Quaker Cereals

$2.59/gal Milk

UNADVERTISED DEALS from Couponmom.com

$1.50 Betty Crocker Frostings
~$0.50/1 = $1 (11/16 SS)
=$0.50 each

$2.00 Kelloggs Poptarts
~$0.55 /1= $1 (11/09 RP)
=$1 each

$2.00 kingsford Corn starch
~$0.55/1 = $1 (11/02 SS)
=$1 each

30 holiday photo cards for $0.48!!!

Yes, you read that correct...I just did it this morning. I found the deal via Freebies 4 mom (here).

I ordered my 30 cards (3 sets of 10, includes envelopes) and will pick them up at my local CVS for a grand total of $0.48!!!! Unbelievable. So, if you haven't already got the move on your holiday cards, what a deal!

Plus, signing up you get 75 FREE PRINTS! Wahoo!

Monday, December 1

SUPER DOUBLES ARE HERE @ Kmart!

Dun dun dun....(drumroll) Kmart is doubling all manufacturer coupons up to and including $2! This is huge. I'm not a big fan of Kmart...however, with this promo finally making it to our area...we need to take part. I will be posting links to sites where they either show deals or sales they received (keep in mind prices may vary from region to region). Be sure to grab your coupons and head over to Kmart!! You cannot get overage, but you will end up just paying tax on most things!!

one more thing: No IP's per the fine print on ad and excludes BOGO, but I believe you could use one coupon on the first item purchased on the BOGO deals. =)

The "cent"sible sawyer list (here)

Bargain Briana (here)
~she used diaper Q's to double also!!

Cheapsk8mom (here)
~ she knows how to work the deals!!

Sunday, November 30

Diaper Deals of the Week!

I found a bunch of economy boxes of Huggies and Pampers on an end cap for $29.99 in the baby department on Friday @ Target...I ended up w/ Huggies Snug-n-Dry, paying $29.99-2Q = 27.99/ 144 diapers = .19 a diaper! That's insane for Size 3.

CVS - This week they have Jumbo size Pampers/Pampers Cruisers/Easy ups on sale for $8.99.

Use $1 off from P&G insert today!

If anyone uses Easy Ups and is local...I have 2 - $2 off Easy up Q's that would make this a great deal...Just email me if you are interested. Ballhog34@hotmail.com

Also, thanks to Frugal Rhode Island Mama, an Pull-ups IP (here)

Kmart:
W/ the super doubles, the $1 will double to $2...their ad says $21.99 for a big pack plus you get $5 off any toy with $20 purchase. =)


Here are the prices to beat per size for Huggies/Pampers

$0.17 per diaper SIZE 1
$0.19 per diaper SIZE 2
$0.22 per diaper SIZE 3
$0.25 per diaper SIZE 4
$0.29 per diaper SIZE 5
$0.33 per diaper SIZE 6
$0.41 per diaper SIZE 7

This is from Baby Cheapskate's Downloadable Chart (here).

I actually printed this out and carry it in my purse. I calculate the price on my cell phone. =)

Saturday, November 29

Growing ECB's and Good Deals! **UPDATED**



I hadn't really planned on getting out to Walgreens or CVS. My gift card is not yet reloaded, so I spent some money out of pocket...and I only had $1 in ECB's at CVS. I thought I did okay...I had one mistake...SIGH from Wags.

Walgreens:
YOU need to get this deal for almost free razors...I have yet to try them, but for $0.50 each, I am willing to do so!!! Soliel razors/refills are $6.99 BOGO!!** UPDATE: This deal is reported to last 12/27**
I'm going back for another round.



$6.99 - 2 Bic Soliel's BOGO
- 6.00 - 2 $3/1 Q 11/02 SS
$6.99 - 2 Bic Soliel's BOGO
- 6.00 - 2 $3/1 Q 11/02 SS
$6.99 - 2 Bic Soliel's BOGO
- 3.00- 1 $3/1 Q (she took my 2 Q, but only scanned one. Didn't catch it!)
$3.98 - 2 sure deodorants (free plus overage)
-3.00 - $1.50 x 2 - IVC from Wag's Catalog - Sure
-0.75 - 1 Sure Deodorant
-1.00 - 1 Sure deodorant
$3.29 - Huggies Wipes
-0.75 - Huggies Q - home mailer
-0.29 - Wag's travel kleenex (filler)
-2.00 - Regisiter Rewards
$2.21 - Tax
$8.24 OOP!

Should have only been $5.24, but that's what I get for being friendly and not on top of my game!

CVS:
My goal was to roll my $1 ebc to more! Easy to do with all the Free after ECB's for the Black Friday sale...They had everything I was wanting...except the a razor system ( I had a better Q to earn $3 instead of $1)



3 transactions ~ I gained $11.78 ecbs w/ only $6.26 OOP!

#1
$2.99 - Aussie Hair spray (earn $2.99 ecbs)
-1.00 - Aussie Q (exp 11/30)
-1.00 - ecbs
+0.15 - tax
$1.14 OOP

#2
$5.99 - Garnier face scrub (earn $5.99)
-1.00 - Garnier Q
-2.99 - ecb's from #1
+0.23 - tax
$2.23 OOP

#3
$0.50 - Hershey's candy bar (daughter was so good!)
+3.79 - Sally Hansen Nail base/top coat polish (earn $3.79 ecbs)
+4.99 - Revlon Nail Polish
-1.00 - Revlon Q
+4.99 - Revlon Nail Polish
- 4.99 - Revlon BOGO sale
- 2.00 - Revlon Q
+8.99 - Maybelline Mineral Foundation (earn $8.99)
-4.00 - $4 off $20 cosmetic purchase CVS - email
-5.99 - ecbs from #2
+0.60 - tax
$2.88 OOP

Total spent OOP: $6.26 and I now have $12.78 in ECB's and I got a $10 off $50 purchase to use in the future from the magic machine! I updated the Drugstore Totals below!

My November Deals

Homemade Breadcrumbs

I don't know about you, but I love to make chicken parmigiana and eggplant parmigiana at home! I used to buy the breadcrumbs in the tube from the grocery store shelf.

One day I got to thinking...we waste the heels of the bread b/c I am the only one that does not mind eating it. So, I got on the internet...google'd homemade bread crumbs. After browsing, I figured out...I just save my bread ends, toast them in the toaster oven to dry them out and throw them in the food processor. I store them in a sealed container in the freezer. Then, when I need them, I just throw in some spices and Parmesan cheese and get to cooking!

Another benefit...we eat whole wheat bread so the crumbs are whole wheat also...so it's good for you! And, since almost everyone consumes bread, you are not spending more out of pocket for the crumbs and getting the most from your loaf! So think twice about tossing out those heels! Enjoy!

Friday, November 28

Drugstore Summaries for November

I still plan on visiting at least Walgreens tomorrow for the Sure deal...so I will add it to the totals, but I wanted to update the right bar totals for December, since it's right around the corner! Plus I have to pick up my free 8 x 10! wahoo.

CVS:

Total OOP: $46.97

Total savings: $111.77
ECB's Used: $38.98
ECB's Earned: $39.76
ECB's On hand: $8.99 + $3.79

Note: The diapers alone could add up to the total spent OOP!!

Items Bought:
2 - A&H laundry detergents
1 - 4ct Bic Razors
2 - jumbo pampers cruisers
2 - oil of olay body washes
1 - Oral B flossers
1 - Lypsyl lip balm
2 - jumbo huggies diapers
1 - zyrtec
1 - rimmel mascara
1- Garnier conditioning mask
1 - aussie hairspray
1 - Garnier face scrub
2 - Revlon nail polishes
1 - sally hansen top base (nail polish)
1 - Hershey's candy bar (sweet daughter was so good!)
1 - Maybelline Mineral Foundation

Walgreens:

Total OOP: $12.30 (should only be $9.30 sigh)

Total on GC: $20.70
Monthly rebates: $6.99+3.00
Rebate bonus: $1.00
Total Rebate Due: $10.99
Register Rewards on hand: $5

Items Bought:
2 - Almay mascaras
4 - Boxes of Kellogg Cereals
1 - small Folgers Coffee
3 - Sudafed PE's
1- Lysol Neutra Air Starter kit
3 - Bic Soleil Razor systems
3 - Bic Soleil Razor refills
1 - Huggies Wipes
1 - Travel Wags kleenex (filler)
2 - Sure Deodorants

Target Run 11/28

UGH! Not as good as I thought...However, here is what I did....

$29.99 Huggies diapers ($.19/per diaper! EXCELLENT!)
- 2.00 Huggies IP Q
$ 1.84 Rice Cereal
$ 1.98 2- Shout travel wipes (wanted to use the Q before expiration)
$ .99 Huggies travel wipes
$ 2.19 Juicy Juice
- 2.19 Peelie Free w/ Huggies Wipes
$ 3.74 Pledge mulit-surface wipes (love them)
$ 2.94 Pledge dust wipes
$ 2.94 Pledge dust wipes
- 1.00 Pledge Q
- 1.00 Shout Q (applied to Pledge..weird)
- 1.00 Shout Q (applied to Pledge..weird)
$ 0.50 Colgate kids travel toothpaste
$ 2.78 tax
$42.70 OOP (plus I got $5 gift card)

Says I saved $10.00. I was kinda upset b/c they didn't take the 2 $1.50/1 pledge product. SIGH! So I would've had $3 less...however, I did find the Juicy Juice Peelie. Oh well. I'm stocked up on dusting wipes. I know it's much cheaper getting the sprays, but I'm so lazy when it comes to dusting...please forgive me for splurging there! =)

Thanksgiving!

I pray everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I'm planning on going out later this afternoon to get the Target diaper deal, buy 3 jumbo packs and get a $5 gift card (using Q's of course!). I also plan on doing the Pledge deal again. I found some Q's from Albies ($1.50 off any pledge product) I was respectful and only grabbed 2...the deal is buy 3 pledge products and get $5 gift card. So...I'm not really planning the whole black Friday deals. I know the ladies on the right sidebar have all the current deals for ya if you are planning to get that shopping done!

Confession: I haven't even started Christmas shopping! Sigh! I know...I can't believe that Thanksgiving is already here and now gone! Have a blessed day all and I hope you scores some good deals if you are planning on going out!

Wednesday, November 26

Overage Deals @ Walgreens

I haven't really been out to CVS or Walgreens lately. I wanted to do the battery deal at CVS, but didn't get around to it. However, I am planning on picking up some free deodorant (plus slight overage) at Walgreens this week! I have some RR's to use and my gift card is being reloaded for December rebates. (free after rebates look slim this month, but we will see what else when I pick up a couple of the EasySaver Catalogs)

Some of the below have the same things noted...
Couponing 101 has some good buys (here)
Thrifty Mama (here)

I really enjoy getting new products (especially when they are free!) to try out. I actually have found some new products doing this that I enjoy using. I.e. Pantene Expressions shampoo, Shavers, Frebreeze Noticables- love them, body washes, toothbrushes and many more. I will post my scenarios probably before I go. =) Let me know if you find any good deals to be had!

Tuesday, November 25

Coupon/Store Savings for November!

So, I know this month is not over yet...but I got this idea to get all the receipts I could find and see how much they said I saved. I am missing a couple...definitely going to do better on keeping tabs on them for the future. The numbers are amazing!

Keep in mind: I am missing a few receipts and this is only ONE month!

$212.37 Ralphs
$166.35 Albertsons
$ 11.97 Walmart (just added up manfQ's)
$390.69 Reported Savings!!!

I'm still in shock! I am not even worried about going over my budget...I think I have but I don't think by much! Just to think I have saved at least that amount just blows my mind...I am ready to do even better next month with the budget now that I have stockpiled some items, but it's still going to be a challenge. =) Hope this offers some encouragement...it's definitely encouraged me!

Monday, November 24

Just a Quick Note ~ Albertsons Milk/Kelloggs Deal

The Albertsons Cereal/Milk deal:

Free Gallon of Albertsons Milk (With In-ad Q) at the checkout when you purchase any FOUR participating Kellogg's Cereals and/or Cereal Straws.
Now thru Nov 27

Q's to use:
$1/1 Any Kellogg's Product (IP HERE)

$1/1 Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Frosted Mini Wheats or Crispix, Any 10 Oz. +- 11/09 RP

$1/1 Kellogg's Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Cocoa Krispies, Frosted Flakes, or Cereal Straws, Any 8 Oz. + - 11/09 RP


Participating Products: Kellogg’s® Apple Jacks® Cereal 12.2 oz.; Kellogg’s® Corn Pops® Cereal 12.5 oz.; Kellogg’s® Corn Pops® Chocolate Peanut Butter Cereal 14.7 oz.; Kellogg’s® Froot Loops® Cereal 12.2 oz.; Kellogg’s® Froot Loops Smoothie® Cereal 12.3 oz.; Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® Cereal 17 oz.; Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® Cereal 10.53 oz.-18 oz., all flavors; Kellogg’s Raisin Bran® Cereal 20 oz.; Kellogg’s™ Cereal Straws, 8.8 oz., all flavors; Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® Cereal 16oz.-18 oz., all flavors; Kellogg’s® Mini-Wheats® Unfrosted Bite-Size Cereal 18 oz.; Kellogg’s® Grab’N Go Cereal Packs™, 5.3oz.-6.4 oz., all flavors
IN-AD COUPON EXPIRES NOVEMBER 27, 2008

Menu Planning Monday!

~ Monday ~
Leftover Pizza
& Salad

~ Tuesday ~
Chicken fajitas

~ Wednesday ~
Chili =) YUM!

~ Thursday ~
GOBBLE GOBBLE
Turkey Day!

~ Friday ~
Leftovers

~ Saturday ~
Leftovers

~ Sunday ~
Depends on how we feel about
leftover Turkey! lol.

Items to pick up this week: Milk, tortilla shells

Check out
OrgJunkie.com
for some great organizing ideas!

My Ralphs Thanksgiving Meal Trip *Updated

Here is my receipt breakdown. I am not including any Thanksgiving items in my monthly total as normally, I want to spend $250 monthly. **updated** I failed to mention that we are providing the Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Rolls and pie toppings! =) We are splitting it between two families =)

$ 1.50 - Flischmann's Yeast
- 1.00 - $0.65/1 doubled Q
$4.00 - 2 redi whips (2 for $4)
- 1.00 - redi whip shortcuts.com loadable Q
- 1.00 - redi whip ($.50/1 doubled)
- 0.50 - redi whip ($.50/1 only one can double)
$ 2.20 - 4.4 lbs of Yams
$ 5.01 - Pillsbury rolls
- 2.00 - 2 IP's
- 0.60 - $0.30/1 doubled Mf Q
$ 4.00 - Nabisco crackers
- 1.00 - $1/2 IP
$ 2.00 - Dole Mandarin Oranges
- 1.00 - ($.55 doubled manf. Q)
$ 0.99 - 5lb bag of potatos
$ 1.79 - 2lb bag of Brown Sugar
- 0.70 - $0.35/1 doubled
$16.00 - Soda 4 12pks
- 6.00 - instant savings
+ 2.40 - CRV
$ 0.50 - garlic
$ 5.24 - 14.17 lb Turkey @ $0.37 per lb
$ 1.39 tax
$32.22 OOP

$49.48 savings w/ card, coupons & dbl coupons =)



November Spending (here)

Saturday, November 22

Albertsons Sales ~ in progress

Fresh Turkey $0.99 with in-ad Q
Frozen BOGO w/ $25 purchase

$1.99 Nabisco Snack Crackers
$1.00/2 IP here Nabisco crackers

10 for $10 BirdsEye Steamfresh Vegetables
$1.00/3 BE Steamfresh Veggie or Rice 10/12 SS

$0.44 ea Swanson Broths (14 oz)
$1.00/6 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.25/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.35/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
(DEAL: use the first Q, buy 6*0.44 ea=$2.64-$1=$1.64 for 6, $0.27 ea!!)

$1.49 Yukon Gold Potatoes (5 lb bag)

4 for $9 Coke, Pepsi, 7 up w/ in-ad Q
w/ min. $10 purchase

BOGO Lays Potato Chips w/ in-ad Q

2 for $6 Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links
Buy 2 and get $2.49 (max value) Albertsons Large Eggs @ checkout
$1/2 Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage 11/09 SS

$1.25 ea. Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (4 for $5)
~ counts towards Kraft deal
$0.55/2
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - 11-02-08 SS
$0.50/2
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - 11-02-08 SS

2 for $4 Knudsen Buttermilk or Eggnog
$1.00/2 Knudsen Eggnog 11/16 RP

10 for $10 Minute Maid Premium Punch

Pillsbury Deal: buy 5 of the below get FREE Albertsons butter (8oz) at checkout
5 for $10
~Pillsbury Grands! Bisuits
$1.00/1 Grand biscuit IP (here) - you should get at least 2

~Pillsbury Pie Crust 15 oz or Ready to Bake! Cookie Dough
$.60/2 Pie Crust (IP here)

~Pillsbury Crescent Rolls or Cinnamon Rolls
$0.35/1 sweet rolls (IP here)
$0.35/1 cinnamon rolls (IP here)

There are a ton in 11/17 SS, I believe

$3.99 Apple, Dutch Apple or Pumpkin Pie (8 in)

$3.00 French's French Fried Onions (2 for $6)
$0.75/1 French's 11/09 SS
$0.50/1 French's 11/09 SS
$0.50/1 French's IP here


10 for $10 Mrs. Cubbison's Croutons
BOGO Mrs. Cubbison's Restaurant style croutons - 11/09 RP
~Deal is 2 for $1

4 for $2 Campbell's Gravy
$0.25/4
Campbell's Gravy, Any Beef, Chicken, Turkey - 11/09 SS

$1 each Zatarain's Rice
$1.25/3 Zatarains Rice, Pasta Mixes or Ready To Serve Sides 09/07 RP
$0.75/2 Zatarains Rice, Pasta Mixes or Ready To Serve Sides 09/07 RP

10 for $10
~Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
$0.50/2 Carnation (IP HERE)
$1.00/2 Carnation (IP HERE)
$0.50/2 Carnation 11/02 RP

~Campbell's Condensed Soup
$0.25/4 Campbells 11/09 SS
$1.00/4 Campbells 11/09 SS

~Keebler Pie Shells 6 oz
$0.25/1
Keebler Ready Crust Pie Crust, Any 11/09 RP

*********************************
Smucker's Deal: Buy 10 products, Save $5 instantly
~Pillsbury Cake Mix 10 for $10
$1.00/3 Pillsbury Cake Mix, Brownie Mix or Frosting - 09/07

~$3.50 Crisco spray or $2.99 Crisco Shortening sticks
$3.49 Crisco Veggie Oil
$1.00/2 any Crisco product 11/09 RP
$1.00/1 any Crisco product 11/09 RP
$0.55/1 any Crisco product 11/09 RP

~Pillsbury Frosting
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Brownie Mixes or Frostings, Any 11/09 RP
$0.75/2 Pillsbury Brownie Mixes or Frostings, Any 11/09 RP

~Eagle Brand Milk
$1.00/2 Eagle brand milk 11/09 RP
$0.55/1 Eagle brand milk 11/09 RP

~Pillsbury Flour

~Jif Peanut Butter
$0.35/1 Jif PB 11/09 RP
$0.55/1 Jif PB 11/09 RP
$1.00/2 Jif PB 11/09 RP
***********************
10 for $10 Dole Pineapple, Mandarin Oranges, Tropical MF
$1.00/3 Dole Tropical Fruit or Mandarin Oranges 11/09 SS
$0.55/2 Dole Tropical Fruit or Mandarin Oranges 11/09 SS

pg 8 ad...free Albertsons milk w/ purchase when you buy 4 participating Kellogg's cereal and/or cereal straws


Thursday, November 20

Thanksgiving Sales! **UPDATED**

I have compared the grocery ads...I found two places that have the cheapest Turkey ~ Stater Bros. and Ralphs. Both of these have a minimum $25 purchase to get the price per pound...so I have noted some deals that I saw in the ad that you might want to pick up if you plan on getting a turkey! Here goes:

Stater Brothers:
$0.37/lb Frozen Turkey w/ $25 purchase
$1 off Honeysuckle Frozen Turkey (IP HERE)
$0.99/lb Fresh Turkey
$0.59 Celery
$0.50 /lb Yams
$10/10 Large Hass Avacado
$4.99 Folgers Coffee
4 for $11 Pepsi 12 pks (w/ in ad Q)
5 for $3 Swanson's Broth (14 oz)
$0.99 Farmer John Sausage Roll
$0.99 Dole canned Pineapples
2 for $1 Green Giant canned veggies
$1.99 Kraft Mayo
$0.69 McCormick's gravy mix
2 for $7 Kraft Velveeta Cheese
2 for $5 Sara Lee Pies (37 oz)
$3.99 Pumpkin or Apple Pie
$1.99 Nabisco crackers

Matching Q's:
$0.55/1 inside liner of some coffee Folgers
$0.25/1 any Folgers 11/2 PG
$1.00/6 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.25/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.35/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$1.00/2 IP (here) Nabisco Crackers
$0.25/2 mc cormick 11/2 RP

Ralphs:
$0.37/lb Frozen Turkey w/ $25 purchase
$1.19/lb Fresh Turkey
$0.50 ea. Celery
$0.50/lb Yams
$1.00/lb Apples
$1.99
Oscar Mayer Bacon
4 for $10 Coke & Diet Coke products 12pks
4 for $11 Pepsi & Diet Pepsi products 12 pks
$2.00 ea.
Nabisco Snack Crackers
$1.00 ea. Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce
$1.25 ea. Swanson canned Broth
$1.00 ea Dole Pineapple or Tropical Fruit
$1.00 ea. Stove Top Stuffing
$1.00 ea. Ralphs/Steamfresh/Green Giant Frozen Veggies
$2.00 ea. Reddi-wip
$2.00 ea. Knudsen's Sour Cream
$4.99 (9 in) Pumpkin or Apple Pie
3 for $5 Pillsbury Crescent/Sweetrolls/Grands Buscuits
$0.75 ea. Campbells Creams
$3.49 French's French Fried Onions (6 oz)
$0.99 Mc Cormick gravy mix

Matching Q's (ralphs doubles most Q's)
$1.00/6 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.25/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$0.35/4 any can Swanson Broth 11/9 SS
$1.00/2 IP here Nabisco crackers
$1.00/3 Dole Tropical Fruit or Mandarin Oranges 11/09 SS
$0.55/2 Dole Tropical Fruit or Mandarin Oranges 11/09 SS
$1.00/2 Reddi-wip 11/16 SS
$0.50/1 Reddi-wip 11/16 SS
$1.00/2 Loadable Q (here) Shortcuts.com (hint: use this and manf. Q's combined)
$0.50/1 Knudsen sour cream..not in database, but I have the Q, not sure org. insert.
Tons of Pillsbury Q's from 11/16 SS & 11/9 SS
$1.00/1 Grand biscuit IP (here) - you should get at least 2!
$0.75/1 French's 11/09 SS
$0.50/1 French's 11/09 SS
$0.50/1 French's IP here
$0.25/2 mc cormick 11/2 RP

**Let me know if I've missed something. Albies has some good deals on some things. I will post them if I get time today! ** One more week until Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 19

Mango-Hot Pepper Salsa

This is a recipe I saw Robin Miller make from the Food Network (here)

2 cups diced fresh mango
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded & minced)
2 T minced red onion
2 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 T fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to taste!

This is wonderful on tacos! We are having them tonight!! Yummy! Enjoy!

Walmart & Albertsons Runs Today $9.47 OOP

Here is what I got:

11/19 Albertsons
$1.50 taco shells
$2.50 Pillsbury 5 lb flour (not a great deal, but grabbed it last minute)
$1.98 Hamburger about 1 1/2 lbs
$1.97 Same as above
$0.99 3 limes
$1.49 1 mango (should've got more the other day @ $1 each!)
$0.89 fresh cilantro
-10.00 cat from sunday's trip
$1.32 OOP! (out of prev. meat return!)

11/19 Walmart
$6.00 - 3 Jimmy Dean Sausage rolls ~ $2 ea.
$6.48 - 6 Green Giant Steamers ~ $1.08 ea. (were $1.27 last time I got them!!)
-6.00 - 6 $1/1 Steamers 11/17 SS
+2.12 - Ouchless hair ponies
-2.00 - Goody Q $2/1 ouchless IP
+2.97 - Cascade Rinse
-2.97 - Free Cascade rinse from home mailer
+2.16 - 2 libby cans of pumpkin
-1.00 - $1/2 libby IP
+0.39 tax
$8.15 OOP - good deal on sausage usual sale price is $2.50.

Updated the November spending (HERE)...I'm at $211.95! Not a bad run today. I also got gas @ Costco for $2.13 which is not BAD in So Cal!!!

Am I the only one...

that did not get the Ralphs and Albertsons ad's in the mail yesterday? Albertsons ad is not even up on the website. Crazy!?!

Tuesday, November 18

Menu Planning Monday ~ A Day Late...oops!

Grocery List from Menu:
1 jalapeno (salsa)
2 limes (salsa)
Cilantro
Tortilla shells (soft or hard)
Pizza - Costco probably (haven't decided if I want to make from scratch yet!)
Frozen Veggies from Walmart (using coupons to get for $.27!)

~ Monday ~
grilled steak/pork chops
Salad

~ Tuesday ~
Omelets w/the works
toast & HM straw. jam

~ Wednesday ~
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
w/ Pineapple Rice
Soy Sauce Green Beans?

~ Thursday ~
Turkey Tacos w/
mango salsa
& the works
(maybe HM Guacamole)

~ Friday ~
Leftovers

~ Saturday ~
Pizza or pick something up

~ Sunday ~
Thinking Curry
& Jasmine Rice


Check out
OrgJunkie.com
for some great organizing ideas!

Monday, November 17

Took back the 3 lbs of Meat!

well, I did it. I was so appalled by the price tag of $17.37 for ONLY 3 lbs of Hamburger! Are you kidding me! I totally thought it was going to be $10 minus $2.50. Which would have been just an Okay price. Oh well. Ralphs was great at doing a refund. I got my full refund and still just can't believe that they even sell it at that price and people actually buy it!! (they probably are like me and just don't want to hassle with taking it back.) =)

we went to the mall today to pick up some pictures from Sears...so we stopped on the way home at Trader Joe's for some bananas. It was only my 2 nd time in the store...but love that you can get 5 bananas for under $1! We love them and go thru them so fast. I browsed their store and this is what I got with some of the refund money...

4 hass avacados $3.29
5 bananas $.95
2 cartons of 12 Lg Eggs (hormone/antibotic free) $1.49 ea. x 2 = $2.98
1 brocolli batch (for a luncheon I'm having this week) 1.69 ea (i think)
$8.91 OOP

I actually love that they have organic apples for a decent price...so I might just try to get my apples and produce from them...depending on what Albies and Ralphs sales are for produce. I must note that I'm not fully organic, but love getting a good deal on organic produce when I can. I have been increasing our fresh vegetable and fruit intake lately. We usually have a fruit and veggie at lunch and dinner! Breakfast is just whatever...due to the fact...I'm not really a morning person. =)

Shopping this Week - New November Total $203.80 To Date

Yesterday, I did some more shopping...added it to the November receipt post (to view click here). I am starting to wonder if I tried to overdo it with the $250 budget while building my stockpile...I am already at $203.80 and I have 2 more weeks. So I guess in the future, it will not need to be as high. I really want to meet my goal but that means I only have $46.20 left. OUCH! I have a feeling I might go over...only time will tell. =) On the other hand, I don't need to buy cereal, tomatoes, beans, oats, detergent, hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tp, paper towels, dressings, pasta sides, etc for months probably! =) That's the bright side!!!

Saturday, November 15

Walgreens Trip Tonight 11/15

I put what I didn't get from the scenario in Red and what I added in Green & Black is what I got that I didn't change. =) Not too shabby. I found the Smart Start Cereal that I love and got the Strawberry Mini-wheats.

My scenario is here.

Saved $13 in mf Q, $5 wags Q=$18.00
And $21.99 in advertised savings!

My Ralphs and Albertsons Scenarios

There are not a ton of coupon match-ups this week to Albertsons and still some stragglers for me for Ralphs. Here is what I plan to do:

Albertsons:
transaction #1
(taking advantage of the cereal deal & get free milk & $15 OYNO)
4 Cinnamon Toast Crunch($3 ea) $12.00 - $1/2 Q - $1/2 Q = $10.00
2 Honey Nut Cheerios ($3 ea) $6- $1/1 - $1/1 = $4.00
4 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks ($2.50 each) $10 - $.50/2 - $.50/2 = $9.00

The BC fruit snacks Q, one was from Sept. issue of Parents and the other I thought was from this last week's insert.

$23.00 Subtotal
(15.00) Catalinas from last week
$8.00 OOP, get $15 in Cats and should get free Milk Q also!

transaction #2
20 Cans of Hunts diced Tomatos (14.5 oz cans) ($1 each)

**could not find any IP's for this and I used all my MF last month**
I know it's an insane amount of cans, but they have whole, stewed and diced listed in the ad. I love having them in my pantry for adding to rice, casseroles, chilis, soups, crockpot dishes...whatever)

$20.00 subtotal
(15.00) from 1st Transaction
$5.00 OOP, get $10 in Cats

Total OOP $13.00 and will have $10 in Cats & Free Milk Q!
********************************************************************

Ralph's

Mix & Match deal...and I have a $5 off $75 purchase that I want to use

(note prices are before the $5 off mix and match)

$10.50 - 7 Hunt's 28 & 29 oz Tomatos (bigger cans than above)
$ 6.00 - 4 (18 oz) Quaker Oats
$ 6.00 - 4 Dial Hand Soaps
$ 6.00 - 4 Hefty zip bags
$ 8.00 - 4 Viva Paper towels
$ 2.50 - 1 Dan Active
$ 2.50 - 1 Activia ( I like these!)
$ 2.00 - 1 eagle brand milk
$ 3.00 - 1 Lysol spray (use them for sanitizing the trash cans!)
$ 5.00 - 2 Smuckers apricot Preserves
$ 2.50 - Pam spray
$ 5.00 - 2 (24pks) of water
$10.00 - Beef purchase (to use $2.50 off ralphs)
$ 6.00 - Fresh Veggies/Fruit - To get total to $75.00
$75.00 Subtotal

-5.00 $5 off $75 purchase
-1.00 Hunt's shortcuts.com e-coupon $1/5
-1.00 Quaker Oats ($.50/1 doubled) 10/19 SS
- .50 Quaker Oats $.50/1
- .50 Quaker Oats $.50/1
- .50 Quaker Oats $.50/1
- .60 Dial Soap ($.30/1 doubled) 10/05 SS
- .30 Dial Soap $.30/1
- .30 Dial Soap $.30/1
- .30 Dial Soap $.30/1
-1.00 Hefty One Zip ($.55/1 doubled) 09/28 RP
-1.00 Viva papertowels ($.50/1 doubled) 10/12 SS
- .70 Viva papertowels ($.35/1 doubled) 10/12 SS
- .50 Viva papertowels $.50/1
- .50 Viva papertowels $.50/1
-1.00 Danactive ($.50/1 doubled) 08/10 SS2
-1.00 Activia ($.50/1 doubled) 08/10 SS2
- .55 Eagle Brand (no doubling..boo!) 11/09 RP
-1.00 Lysol spray $1/1 11/9 SS
-1.00 Smuckers preserves ($.55/1 doubled) 09/07 RP
- .75 Pam (shortcuts.com) e-coupon
-2.50 off $10 beef purchase(Ralph's mailer)
$ 21.50 in Q's

$75.00 Orginal Total
- 21.50 Manu Q's
- 15.00 Mix & Match (auto Q)
+1.50 CRV
+ 1.78 Tax
$41.78 OOP (estimated due to CRV & fresh produce/meat purchases)


Friday, November 14

Germ Hotbeds!

I just read on Yahoo.com that the most germ infested places, studies show, in our homes are...

the refrigerator door handle
salt and pepper shakers
doorknobs
light switches
bathroom faucets
phone
dishwasher handle
t.v. remote

I must admit...I used to be in a great habit of wiping down the light switches and doorknobs w/ Lysol wipes quite regularly. However, I have not done it lately. So I would just encourage you to wipe down as many of these as you can as the winter is right around the door! =)

Free Glad Samples

Free Glad bag sample (Here from Wal-mart)....thanks to Ellen @ Thrifty & Chic Mom for the heads-up!

Thursday, November 13

Spice Up Your Coffee & Staying Sweet w/ the Budget

Here are some great ideas to spice up your coffee at home while still being sweet on your budget!

Enjoy and let me know if you try it! I would love to hear the results!

(Click Here) This website has a great section on what Spices to add!

(Click Here) This website has 3 spiced coffee recipes (Fragrant Spiced Coffee, Mediterranean Coffee and Sweet Fennel Coffee.

(Click Here) for Homemade Coffee Mocha

Craving Holiday Flavors a Little Early...try these

(Click Here) for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes
**This blog is awesome crockpot365.blogspot.com! She has a ton of really great recipes!

(Click Here) for Spiced Holiday Coffee

30 % off Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic

Thanks Catherine for the heads up. I found a link from Southern Savers that will get you to the coupon (click here). I had a hard time trying to get it from my inbox to here. So this should work! Check it out...offer ends 11/16!!!

A Coupon Cutting Must See!!

I know you might find this crazy and a bit OVERWHELMING!! I did at first, so caution (wink). I actually did this with my 2 inserts last week. I didn't staple them, but used the sorting method! It worked great! Good luck!

Walgreens $5 off $20 Purchase! **UPDATED**

Check out my last coupon bar on the right. There is a Walgreen's Coupon for this Friday and Saturday only. The coupon is $5 off, $20 purchase. The deal is the total has to be $20 after all manufacture's coupons! So you will be spending at least $15 OOP. So, I'm sure you are wondering...what do you do when you get this coupon...well...I pull up my trusty Excel spreadsheet and start putting in numbers. I will put down all the things I want to buy and the total Q's. I will try to get as much stuff as I can using Q's and just keep adding it up until I get to $20...which is easy! I will post my scenario...

Some coupon match-ups I did earlier this week (click here)

******************************************
My Scenario:
$2.49 (2 coffee mate creamers)
-2.00 (2 creamers $1 off Q's)
10.00 (4 Kellogg's Cereals - get $2 in RR back)
-4.00 (4 Kellogg's $1 off Q's)
11.97 (3 Sudafed's - get back $5 in RR)
-4.00 (3 Sudafed Q's 1.50+1.50+1)
9.99 ( Lysol NeutraAir Starter kit - get $3 back in Rebates)
-5.00 (1 $5 off Starter kit Q)
+2.50 Folgers coffee (was in a hurry)
1.00 ( Holiday pens/pencils 5/$1)

$21.46 Subtotal
- 5.00 $5/$20 purchase
+ 1.31 tax
$17.77 OOP ($13.71 on GC, $4.06 OOP)

So, paid $17.77 and I got back $7 in Register Rewards (money off my next purchase) and will be eligible for $3 rebate (plus 10% when put back on gift card) and get all of the above!!

*****************************************

Other note: usually this would be a good time to buy a "free after rebate" item that Walgreens has in their EasySaver Catalog...i.e. Almay mascara! Please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear or see your scenarios!

One Other note: Walgreens policy is to have as many items as you have Q's! So keep that in mind. You might have to buy the little holiday pencils as "filler" items to make it even.

Check out the post here from Money Saving Mom ~ Walgreens 101 for those that are new!

Get to saving!

Wednesday, November 12

Free Photobook through Snapfish!

I'm not an Oprah fan...however, I love that she is providing FREE 20 page photobook now thru 11/16. You end up just paying shipping...I think it's $6.99! Coupon Cravings has the lowdown and the link here! It credits new and current Snapfish members!

Great gift idea, so hurry up and get yours!

Enjoy!

CVS...Went to Plan B! Redemption!

My dh (dear husband) needed some allergy meds. I jumped on it to get a chance to go to CVS solo! Wahoo. I was in heaven, well for a sec. I soon realized that the Cool Rinse is out and so is the Whitening Crest...as I already had my game plan on my excel spreadsheet print out... which included these two deals and I was trying to use the $5 off 30 Purchase! Wanted to use this CVS Q b/c I was getting Claritin - a more expensive item that I normally don't buy...which was gone...so we got Zyrtec ($18.99-had a better Q for this anyway!) So I had this planned and then got about the same deal with plan B! (God is so good. The other deal I happened to have all the Q's with me and even scored another $1 off CVS Q from a tearpad! Wahoo!!)

Plan A:
transaction 1:
$18.99 Claritin D (Earn $2 ecbs)
- 3.00 Claritin Printable
$ 3.99 Listerine Cool Blue (Earn $3 ecbs)
- 1.00 Listerine Printable
$ 6.98 2-Crest Whitening TP (Earn $6.98 ecbs)
- 1.50 2-Crest $.75/1 Q
- 5.00 CVS $5/$30 purchase
- 6.00 ECB's from last week
$14.93 OOP (including tax)

**Higher than I would normally pay OOP for anything at CVS, but I would not normally buy Claritin!**

transaction 2:
$19.00 2-Jumbo packs of Huggies!
- 2.00 CVS any Huggies
- 3.00 2-$1.50/1 Home mailers
-$6.98 ECB's from trans #1
$7.95 OOP (including tax!)

So Plan A failed...as there was nothing available from plan A.

I happened to see an end cap with the rimmel mascara deal. $6.99 get $4 ecbs. I had a rimmel Q and saw there was a tearpad with a CVS Q $1 off any Rimmel. So I added 7+19...needed $4 more dollars to get to $30 to use the Q! So I headed over to the Garnier Shampoo/conditioner/syler deal. $2.99 get $2 ecb. I had a $1 Q. Perfect...threw in some candy to make up a great back-up plan.

Plan B:
$18.99 Zyrtec (earn $1 ecb)
- 4.00 Zyrtec Q
$ 6.99 Rimmel Mascara (earn $4 ecbs)
- 1.00 CVS $1 off Rimmel (tearpad on display)
- 1.00 $1/1 Rimmel from inserts
$ 2.99 Garnier Conditioner mask (earn $2 ecbs)
- 1.00 $1/1 Garnier product from inserts
$ 1.50 3 - candy bars (to bump up my total)
- 5.00 $5/$30 purchase
- 6.00 ECBs from last week
$13.86 OOP plus got $7 ecbs!

transaction 2:
$19.00 2-Jumbo packs of Huggies!
- 2.00 CVS any Huggies
- 3.00 2-$1.50/1 Home mailers
-$6.00 ECB's from trans #1
$8.84 OOP (including tax!)

Total OOP $22.70
For Zyrtec (originally $18.99!), Mascara, Hair Conditioning mask and 2 Jumbo bags of diapers!
Not too bad for a little impromptu run!

If your out at Walgreens and Like Neutrogena...

Check out this deal from Sisterly Savings (here). She saw some Neutrogena foundation on sale for $5. I have not been in the Walgreens yet in our area, but if you are planning to go...check it out. Not a bad deal, paired with $1 off Q...$4 deal!!

Tuesday, November 11

My Planned Walgreens Trip...still in plan mode!

Well, I am currently thinking this plan for this week...although, I'm debating the Nestle Toll house and Jif deals...

$2.49 ~ 2 Coffee Mate Creamers (BOGO w/ in-ad Q)
-1.00 ~ $1/1 Coffee Mate Creamer
-1.00 ~ $1/1 Coffee Mate Creamer (making 2 for $0.49!)

$0.99 ~ Reach Dental Floss (w/ in-ad Q)
-1.00 ~ Reach Dental floss Q (making this free!)

*not the correct floss Q! boo hoo

I really like the black and blue package Reach Dental floss!! I'm so glad it's free(or so I think it applies)!!! I'm still trying to find my other Q to get 2 instead of one to add to the stockpile.

I already bought the "free after rebate" Almay mascara...($6.99-$1 off Q, deal is use $1 Q and get the entire $6.99 back plus 10% for putting it on a gift card.)

Cranberry-Apple Dessert

I found this link in my email from Betty Crocker website...

If you picked up the Bisquick that was on sale this week at Albies, here is a recipe that you might want to try. (I personally have not made it, but am adding to my list of need to make)

Cranberry-Apple Dessert (click here)

Let me know how it turns out, if you try it.

Enjoy

Free Coffee @ Coffee Bean Tonight...11/11 Only! Did anyone make it in?!?

The Thrifty Mama posted about Free Coffee (here)

I did not check to see if our locations are doing this...so you might want to call first if you are wanting some holiday coffee! Sounds sooo good!

Enjoy!

Monday, November 10

Walgreens 11/9-11/15...in progress

With Walgreens, remember that you can combine the in-ad Q's with manufacture's Q's!

Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent ~ Buy One get One $6.99
~ IP (here) $1/1
Use 2 Q's, final price $2.50 ea

Domino 5 lb Sugar $1.99 (in-ad Q)
~Q $0.35 & $0.50 in RP 10/12

Coffee Mate Creamer ~ BO at $2.49, get One Free(in-ad Q)
~Q $1.00/2 in 11/2 RP
~Q IP (here) $1/1
Use 2 Q's $1/1 = $0.49 for two creamers!
Use $1/2 = $0.75 for two creamers

Nestle Toll House $ 1.99 (in-ad Q)
~Q $1.50/3 in 11/2 RP = $4.47 for 3 bags
~Q $0.50/1 in 11/2 RP = $1.49 ea.

Betty Crocker $0.99 (in-ad Q) limit 3
~Q IP here $0.75/1 = $0.24 ea
~Q frosting or cookie mix $.50/1 or $1/2 in 10/19 SS
=$0.49 ea

Schick Quatro $6.99
~Q $2/1 (expires today!! from 10/5 SS)
~Q from Easy Saver Catalog $3.00
= $1.99 ea

Reach Dental Floss ~ $0.99 (in-ad Q)