I have started a website and the link below takes you to my first post :)
http://doxiedollars.com/2013/08/17/new-adventure-and-what-i-got-for-free-at-cvs-816/
I am just starting out but looking forward to helping people coupon!
If you have any suggestions about how I can improve the new (and still under construction) site, or any ideas of things I should include in my weekly match-ups, please let me know by leaving a comment on my new page. Again, www.doxiedollars.com and thanks!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Food Lion Deals 8/7-8/13 and Kroger Deals 8/4-8/10
Food Lion's BOGO is still going on until tomorrow, 8/6 (see my last post) but these newly listed deals start Wednesday, 8/7. Kroger's deals are currently on!
Tide 75oz $8.99--will be $7.99 with store coupon from coupon machine, and use a $0.50/1 Tide or Downy product to pay $7.49. *Gain 100oz is also on this deal, and I believe there is a $0.40/1 for that (all in P&G 7/28)
Charmin 16 double roll and Bounty 8 ct are both also $8.99 but would be $7.99 with store coupon. There are $0.25 coupons for each of those, too (7/28 P&G). This is a decent price for toilet paper, but see what you can do at Kroger with Quilted Northern!! (below)
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage $2.50, use a $1/1 from the 7/28 paper to make these $1.50. These would also be cheaper at Kroger, but for comparison's sake :)
Velveeta Skillet Singles $2.50 each--there will be a store coupon for $1 off 2 to make these $4 for 2. Use two $2 off 1 coupons from the 7/14 paper (I believe) to make these $1 each!
*Store Promo* Buy one Lipton 24 ct @ $5.99, get $2 off ANY Lipton tea item (excluding ready-to-drink "to go" bottles)
--use two $0.40 off 1 Lipton coupons from the 7/28 paper
--If you want two of the big packs (@ $5.99 each) you will pay a total of: $9.18 for both, OR buy the larger one (as required) and a smaller item around $2.50 and pay $5.69 fr both :)
There will be a promo running in the store when you spend $15 on these items, you will get a $5 catalina for your NEXT order. OR, spend $30, get a $10 catalina!
*This is NOT an extensive list of what may be on the promotion (because Food Lion hasn't uploaded this ad to their site yet...) but Unilever brands and Kimberly Clark brands are included. Sometimes, the cheapest line of items from that brand are not included, but I will find out Wednesday (8/7)!
Unilever Items (shown in the ad):
Ragu Pasta Sauce: $2.50 (use a $0.40/2)=$4.60 for both ($2.30 each)
Hellmann's Mayo: $3.00 (use a $0.50/1)= $2.50 each
Fruttare Fruit/Ice Cream Bars: $3.49 (use a $1/1 OR a $3/3 Breyer's, Fruttare, Klondike, Popsicle excl. 6-8 ct coupon 7/28 paer) and pay $2.49 each
Popsicle 18-24 count $3.59 (use a $3/3 Breyer's, Fruttare, Klondike, Popsicle excl. 6-8 count) and pay $2.59
DOVE body wash (ad price says $6.99) and DOVE shampoo/conditioner/stylers (I think the ad said $3.49)
Kimberly Clark Items (shown in the ad):
Scott toilet paper 12 ct: $6.99 ($0.50-$0.75 off 1 coupons from the 7/28 paper I think)=$6.24-$6.49
Viva Towel 1 ct: $1.89 each
Kleenex 68-184 ct: $1.50
U by Kotex 14-60 ct tampons or liners: $3.99 use a $2/2 items and pay $2.99 each (not sure which insert, but there are internet printables too!)
Deal Idea:
Buy 2 Fruttare items and 1 Popsicle Item, use a $3/3 coupon and pay $7.57 for those AND buy 2 Ragu sauces, use a $0.40/2 for those (7/28 paper)
Pay $12.17 (after coupons, pre-tax)
Receive $5 catalina for a net of $7.17 for everything.
Deal Idea #2:
Buy 1 Fruttare ($1/1), 1 Hellmann's Mayo ($0.50/1), 1 pack of Scott's toilet paper ($0.50-$0.75/1), and 1 Viva Towel (no coupon)
Pay: $13.37
Receive $5 catalina for a net of $8.37
***As mentioned above, I will be checking to see what other items are included in this catalina promotion since there are LOTS more things that these brands own. I am listing a few of them below that I know of that Unilever and KC own (these may or may not be on the promo, but I'm hoping!):
Knorr Pasta or Rice sides (usually only $1, reg. price so these would make for awesome savings!!)
Country Crock butter/margarine
Breyer's ice cream and Klondike bars
Lipton tea (all varieties; if included, would go well with the other store promo as outlined above*)
AXE products
IF the Lipton items are included, I have worked out the following:
Buy 1 large pack of Lipton (@ $5.99) and then another large pack @ $5.99, and then 1 pack of Fruttare @ $3.49
Use the store promo on Lipton (buy 1 @ $5.99, get $2 off ANY Lipton item) AND two $0.40/1 Lipton coupons AND a Fruttare $1/1 coupon
Pay: $11.67
Get $5 catalina, for a net of $6.67
Deal #2 (if Lipton is included):
Buy 1 Lipton at $5.99 and 1 Lipton at (approx.) $2.50 and 2 Fruttare packs
Use two $0.40/1 Lipton coupons and the store promo $2 off Lipton and 2 $1/1 Fruttare items
Pay: $10.67
Get $5 catalina for a net of $5.67
Since catalinas can be rolled into another transaction, these could make for some good deals. Not "free" trade outs, but good savings on lots of different items. I'm hoping this is an "all inclusive" promotion that will "count" many or all of the items by those two companies, but we will see!!
Food Lion Deals beginning 8/7:
Tide 75oz $8.99--will be $7.99 with store coupon from coupon machine, and use a $0.50/1 Tide or Downy product to pay $7.49. *Gain 100oz is also on this deal, and I believe there is a $0.40/1 for that (all in P&G 7/28)
Charmin 16 double roll and Bounty 8 ct are both also $8.99 but would be $7.99 with store coupon. There are $0.25 coupons for each of those, too (7/28 P&G). This is a decent price for toilet paper, but see what you can do at Kroger with Quilted Northern!! (below)
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage $2.50, use a $1/1 from the 7/28 paper to make these $1.50. These would also be cheaper at Kroger, but for comparison's sake :)
Velveeta Skillet Singles $2.50 each--there will be a store coupon for $1 off 2 to make these $4 for 2. Use two $2 off 1 coupons from the 7/14 paper (I believe) to make these $1 each!
*Store Promo* Buy one Lipton 24 ct @ $5.99, get $2 off ANY Lipton tea item (excluding ready-to-drink "to go" bottles)
--use two $0.40 off 1 Lipton coupons from the 7/28 paper
--If you want two of the big packs (@ $5.99 each) you will pay a total of: $9.18 for both, OR buy the larger one (as required) and a smaller item around $2.50 and pay $5.69 fr both :)
***Unilever and Kimberly Clark Promotion***
There will be a promo running in the store when you spend $15 on these items, you will get a $5 catalina for your NEXT order. OR, spend $30, get a $10 catalina!
*This is NOT an extensive list of what may be on the promotion (because Food Lion hasn't uploaded this ad to their site yet...) but Unilever brands and Kimberly Clark brands are included. Sometimes, the cheapest line of items from that brand are not included, but I will find out Wednesday (8/7)!
Unilever Items (shown in the ad):
Ragu Pasta Sauce: $2.50 (use a $0.40/2)=$4.60 for both ($2.30 each)
Hellmann's Mayo: $3.00 (use a $0.50/1)= $2.50 each
Fruttare Fruit/Ice Cream Bars: $3.49 (use a $1/1 OR a $3/3 Breyer's, Fruttare, Klondike, Popsicle excl. 6-8 ct coupon 7/28 paer) and pay $2.49 each
Popsicle 18-24 count $3.59 (use a $3/3 Breyer's, Fruttare, Klondike, Popsicle excl. 6-8 count) and pay $2.59
DOVE body wash (ad price says $6.99) and DOVE shampoo/conditioner/stylers (I think the ad said $3.49)
Kimberly Clark Items (shown in the ad):
Scott toilet paper 12 ct: $6.99 ($0.50-$0.75 off 1 coupons from the 7/28 paper I think)=$6.24-$6.49
Viva Towel 1 ct: $1.89 each
Kleenex 68-184 ct: $1.50
U by Kotex 14-60 ct tampons or liners: $3.99 use a $2/2 items and pay $2.99 each (not sure which insert, but there are internet printables too!)
Deal Idea:
Buy 2 Fruttare items and 1 Popsicle Item, use a $3/3 coupon and pay $7.57 for those AND buy 2 Ragu sauces, use a $0.40/2 for those (7/28 paper)
Pay $12.17 (after coupons, pre-tax)
Receive $5 catalina for a net of $7.17 for everything.
Deal Idea #2:
Buy 1 Fruttare ($1/1), 1 Hellmann's Mayo ($0.50/1), 1 pack of Scott's toilet paper ($0.50-$0.75/1), and 1 Viva Towel (no coupon)
Pay: $13.37
Receive $5 catalina for a net of $8.37
***As mentioned above, I will be checking to see what other items are included in this catalina promotion since there are LOTS more things that these brands own. I am listing a few of them below that I know of that Unilever and KC own (these may or may not be on the promo, but I'm hoping!):
Knorr Pasta or Rice sides (usually only $1, reg. price so these would make for awesome savings!!)
Country Crock butter/margarine
Breyer's ice cream and Klondike bars
Lipton tea (all varieties; if included, would go well with the other store promo as outlined above*)
AXE products
IF the Lipton items are included, I have worked out the following:
Buy 1 large pack of Lipton (@ $5.99) and then another large pack @ $5.99, and then 1 pack of Fruttare @ $3.49
Use the store promo on Lipton (buy 1 @ $5.99, get $2 off ANY Lipton item) AND two $0.40/1 Lipton coupons AND a Fruttare $1/1 coupon
Pay: $11.67
Get $5 catalina, for a net of $6.67
Deal #2 (if Lipton is included):
Buy 1 Lipton at $5.99 and 1 Lipton at (approx.) $2.50 and 2 Fruttare packs
Use two $0.40/1 Lipton coupons and the store promo $2 off Lipton and 2 $1/1 Fruttare items
Pay: $10.67
Get $5 catalina for a net of $5.67
Since catalinas can be rolled into another transaction, these could make for some good deals. Not "free" trade outs, but good savings on lots of different items. I'm hoping this is an "all inclusive" promotion that will "count" many or all of the items by those two companies, but we will see!!
Kroger Deals 8/4-8/10
There are some nice catalinas running now at Kroger that work with the sales and a few freebies, too! Also, if you need a prescription refilled--you should consider switching to Kroger Pharmacy because right now you will get $25 in FREE groceries when you transfer an RX. This is completely free $25 just loaded to your Kroger card (Kmart offers this too right now!)
FREE items (with coupons, of course!):
Mentos gum (15 count at the check out lane)--is on sale for $1.00 and we just got a $1/1 coupon in the paper on 8/4 :) *this is on sale until 9/7 so will be free til then!
Reach toothbrushes--on sale for $1.00 each and with a printable from coupons.com for $1 off 1, they are free too! See why I will NEVER pay for oral care again :) Floss is the same price (99 cents to $1) and I think there are printables for that, too ($1 off 1 from coupons.com) will also make the floss FREE!
Gillette Fusion Shave Prep/Gel--on the buy 5, save $5 sale for $1.99 each--pair with the $2/1 coupon from the 7/28 P&G and it's FREE :) I NEVER pay for this stuff either lol
Cheetos (8.5-9.5 oz bag)--is the FREE item of the week! Visit freefridaydownload.com to load this coupon to your card ON FRIDAY 8/9 ONLY but use by 8/24. Can only be added that day, but will be FREE :)
Under $1 Items:
Diet Pepsi 6-pack 24 ounce bottles
on the buy 5, save $5 for $1.99--use a $1/1 6 pack or 8 ounce can coupon (I think it was 7/14's paper...) and pay just $0.99!
Lysol Wipes
These are on the buy 5, save $5 for 99 cents, use a $0.50/2 from the 8/4 paper and these will be only $0.74 per can!
Lysol Spray Cleaners
Same exact deal as the wipes, great price!
Crystal Light To Go (7-10 count)
On a catalina for buy 5, get $4 off your next order AND on a buy 5, get $5 off instant sale
Buy 5 (at $1.49 each), pay $7.45 plus tax and receive a $4 catalina for a final price of $0.69 each
(The big packs, the pitcher packs are on sale for $1.89 and would be $1.09 AFTER catalina and sale)
Crest Premium Toothpastes and Brushes
On buy 5, get $5 off sale for $1.49 each. There are multiple coupons out for these, but the recent P&G (7/28) had only $0.50 off 1 that would make these items $0.99 each but I believe there are $1/1 printables about that would make these cheaper. Either way, these are for the PREMIUM versions--NOT the usual cheap ones!
Hillshire Farm Sausage Links
On buy 5, save $5 sale for $1.98, use the $1/1 from the 7/28 paper and pay just $0.98 for the pack, which is 75% off :)
Other Good Deals:
Purex Liquid or Pacs
Buy one, get one @ $5.49. Use a $1/2 items coupon (either 7/14 or 7/28 paper, sorry) and pay $2.25 for each one!
Nestle 24 pack water
on the buy 5, save $5 sale for $2.99 (this isn't necessarily stock up price, but a great deal!)
Classico Pasta Sauce
Buy one, get one free @ $3.59 *there is a spend $15, get $5 back on Savingstar right now and would make this a good deal if you need sauce :) This can be done over multiple trips, so if you only want to get a couple then 'finish' the deal later in the month, that's cool!
Herbel Essences Body Wash
On buy 5, save $5 for $2.49--pair with a $1/1 from the 7/28 P&G and it's $1.49 :) Body wash has been probably the hardest thing for me to get free just about anywhere (by that I mean OTHER THAN CVS) so this is a good price if you need some!
Dawn Dish Detergent
The BIG bottle is on the buy 5, save $5 for $1.89--use a $0.50/1 Dawn (limited varieties, but includes the hand renewal, the one in the silver bottle, and another) to make this $1.39!
Tampax
the BIG box (32-36 count) that usually sells for $8.37 (!) is on sale for $4.49, but use a $2/1 coupon from the 7/28 P&G and they will be $2.49 (70% off!)--this is an unwanted expense, but hey--coupons and sales make the price more manageable!
Cheerios
I noticed the Honey Nut variety were cheaper than the others for some reason and were $2.17/box on the buy 5, save $5. The most common coupon is $1/2 so these would be $1.67 per box. Not stock up, but definitely good.
Hopefully these will help you out--I will update on Wednesday likely to see what all is included at Food Lion, but until then I am working on getting my *NEW* website situated. I got the site but don't have all the details down yet and I haven't transferred the posts from here :)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
What's on Sale this Week? Kroger's Buy 5, Save $5 and Food Lion's BOGO Extravaganza
There are some pretty good deals this week on groceries, both stapled and the fun stuff. Here are the best prices I saw at Kroger and Food Lion, and I've included the best matches for Walmart. Many of these deals use coupons from the 7/28 (this past Sunday) paper but there are plenty that don't require coupons at all! Hopefully these will help you this week :)
Hillshire Farm Brats (reg. 3.99)---1.98 on the sale
-----use the $1 off 1 pack from the 7/28 paper and pay just $0.98 per pack (75% off!) Stock up!!!
Ben and Jerry's Pints (reg. 3.99 I believe)---1.99 on the sale
-----use a $2.50 off 3 from couponnetwork.com and pay just $1.16 each (70% off)
Kraft Mayo 22oz to 30oz (reg. 3.14)----2.14
----there are peelies on some jars and I'm sure there are internet printables for the same for $1 off 2--if you had one of these, it would be $1.64 each jar (47% off)--this isn't stock up price, but a good price.
Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs--1.48 a pack
----I could not find a coupon for these, but that's a decent price
Cheez It Crackers (reg. 3.79 maybe)---1.99 a box
----there is a Keebler "Back to School" Bus in Kroger stores and it features various products, but there's also a savings book attached to the bus stand and there are several coupons in it (snag one!)- for these, there's a Buy 2 Cheez Its, save $1 on school supplies. You could buy 1 pack of filler paper for $0.75 (on sale) and a pack of PaperMate Pens (on sale for $0.33 each) and you pay a total of $4.06 for the crackers and the school stuff :) However, see what I did below.
Smuckers Spreads (reg. around 2.99 or 3.49)---on the sale for $1.99
----there's a $0.75 off 1 Smuckers Naturals that would make this $1.25 a jar! Sometimes, these sales only cover certain flavors/types so I am not sure if the "naturals" is on it. If not, take the ad to Walmart and match the $1.99 price and pay the $1.25 without having to buy 5 things :)
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (reg. around 2.99 a box)---on the sale for $1.49 box
----use a $0.50/2 coupon and pay $1.24 per box
Tyson Boneless Chicken 3lb bag (reg. 9.99/bag)---on sale for $6.99
Dawn Dish Detergent (reg. 2.89)---on sale for $1.89
---use a $0.50 off 1 Dawn (select varieties) from the P&G 7/28 and pay just $1.39 (big bottle!)
Boulder Canyon Chips (reg. $3.29 I think)---on the sale for $1.49 per bag
--these are in the organic section and a very good price!
Gillette Fusion Shave Gel (reg. $3.99 to $4.49)---on the sale for $1.99 each
---buy these with the $2 off 1 Gillette Fusion Shave Gel in the P&G 7/28 and they're FREE (1 cent overage)
---if you only want one thing from the buy 5, save $5, you could buy 4 of the shaving gels (stock up!) and they count towards your purchase requirements :)
Produce Sales (not on the Buy 5, Save $5)
Peaches, Roma Tomatoes, Green Beans or Eggplants are all $0.99/lb
Kroger Grape Tomatoes are $1.50 per 10 oz box
Lettuces (red, romaine, green leaf, or head) are all $0.99 each
Cantaloupes are $1.99 each
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These items are BOGO: I am listing the FULL RETAIL PRICE. BOGO is at full price, but half these if you want the price for just one :)
Post Fruity or Chocolate Pebbles: $2.99
---pair with a $1/2 any Post adults or kids cereals from the 7/28 paper and pay just $0.99 per box. My stock-up price for cereal is $1 or under a box, so this works!
Cheez-Its: $3.99 (this is the same price per box at Kroger, but there are catalinas for $1 off your $3.50 cookie or cracker purchase that Food Lion was giving out so is a better deal IF you have one of those--would be $2.99 for two boxes, or $1.50/box!)
LAYS or UTZ Chips 9-10oz: $4.29
--there's also a catalina out there for $1 off your $3.50 purchase of salty snacks from Food Lion, but if not, these would be $2.15 a bag. That's a good price for name brand chips :)
Pompeian Olive Oil (Extra Virgin and Light): Light was $5.99 and EV was $7.49
---This item is on https://savingstar.com/ and when you buy 2, you will get $1.50 back. If you buy 2 of the Light oils, you will pay $5.99 (and tax) and get $1.50 back for a final price of $2.25 per bottle. That's awesome! However, if you just want one bottle, $3 to $3.75 a bottle is great!
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks: $2.79 (pouches of snacks)-$3.29 (Fruit by the Foot and Gushers)
---use the $0.50/2 and pay just $1.15-$1.40 per box! This is cheaper than the price at Kroger :)
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice 32 oz: $1.99
---this would make the 64 oz (which is the usual jug size) cost $1.99; that's decent but I got lucky lol
Toaster Strudels: $2.79
---use a $0.50/2 or a $0.75/3 to pay just $1.15 per box! If you have the $0.75/3 coupon, you will need to buy 3 boxes but it's still the same price/box since Food Lion rings each up at half off.
Ore Ida frozen potatoes (fries, tater tots, and hashbrowns, and shreds): $3.49
---for a name brand bag of potatoes, $1.75 each is great!
Hellman's Mayo: $2.50/jar but the coupon machine at Food Lion is giving out a $1 off 2 coupon, this makes each jar $2 but use 2 coupons from the 7/28 paper for $0.50 off 1 and pay just $1.50 per jar! (Better than the price for Kraft at Kroger!)
Charmin Basic 6 Double Rolls: on sale for $3.99, but a coupon from the machine gives a $1 off, so it's $2.99, but pair with a $0.25/1 coupon from the P&G 7/28 and pay just $2.74! (46 cents a roll)
--obviously, this isn't stock up price, but if you need some tp to get you buy for now, it's good :)
ALL Laundry detergent: $2.99 use a $0.75/1 and pay $2.24!
ERA detergent: $2.99 with store coupon (from coupon machine) and will be $1.99 with manufacturer coupon for $1 off (from a Smart Source in earlier July I believe)
Bird's Eye Voila Dinners: $3.49, there is an internet printable for $2/1 the Chipotle chicken one
--this makes this dinner only $1.49! but there are also paper coupons for $1/1
Country Crock big tub: $3, pair with a $0.40/1 coupon from the 7/28 paper and it's $2.60! This runs over $3 just about everywhere AFTER coupons usually, so this is a good deal.
Produce Deals:
Food Lion is my favorite for produce, everyone knows that :) this week there are some decent savings, but no one had WOW-me prices. Still, these are pretty good.
White Potatoes, 5 lb bag $2 (reg. $2.99)
Yellow onions, 3 lb bag $1.79
Garlic is 2 bunches for $1
Limes are 5 for $1
Baby Carrots, 1 lb bag for $1.29 (these are $1.69 at Kroger...)
Blackberries and raspberries are $2.50 for a box
**remember, if you don't need to go to Food Lion and want to just price match these prices at Walmart--you can! I think Food Lion's produce is fresher and un-picked over and often, more blemish free than Walmart's but hey, nothing wrong with price matching instead if you like :)
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Avocados: 50 cents each! Yeah, that's as low as we will get here in VA but that's MUCH better than Walmart's price of $1.38 each (gross)
Cucumbers and green bell peppers: 25 cents each! These were 68-78 cents each at Walmart, you'll save 43 to 53 cents each!!
Roma Tomatoes: 2 lbs for $1. I would word it as "50 cents a pound" to them, so you don't need to buy 2 pounds, unless you want to :) this is a CRAZY price, since these usually run anywhere from 99 cents/lb on sale to 1.99/lb not on sale.
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Here's What I've Done This Week:
I shopped at Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, and CVS to buy the things we needed.
CVS:
Then I went to Food Lion for a bigger grocery trip :) I got several things we needed and some things that were just on a good deal, but my favorite find was the pork!! Remember, from above that they have the BOGO sale on and it's got some good finds :)
2 Red Baron pizzas @ $4.19 total (or, $2.09 each)
2 Ore Ida Fries @ $3.49 total (or, $1.74 each)
2 Post Pebbles @ $2.99 total (or, $1.49 each)
2 Cheez Its @ $3.99 total ($1.99 each)--for the record, TRY THIS FLAVOR. It is AMAZING!
2 Bags of Chips, one Lays and one UTZ (same price) @ $4.29 total ($2.15 each)
8 Ocean Spray Cranberry Juices @ $3.96 total* (see below) reg. $15.92
1 thing of filler note-paper @ $0.99 total reg. $1.79
1 bag of yellow onions, 3 lbs @ $1.79 total reg. $2.19
1 bag of russet potatoes, 10 lbs @ $4.59 total reg. price
2 bags of Dole Salad kits @ $5.98 total ($2.99 each) reg. price of $3.49 each
2 whole garlics @ $1 ($0.50 each) reg. $1.06
3 limes @ $0.60 total ($0.20 each) reg. $0.75
2 bananas @ $0.50 total ($0.25 each) reg. price.
1 bunch of cilantro @ $0.79 total reg. price
1 Boston pork butt @ $7.27 on manager's special. I was SO EXCITED for this because it's 8 POUNDS of pork to be smoked and made into some awesome things. The original price was $24. Whoa.
Total pre-card/coupons: $96.47 without tax
Coupons used:
*Food Lion coupon (FL q) for $1 off frozen veggies, any kind $3.50 or more (for the potatoes) made them $1.25 a bag!
*Manufacturer q from 7/28 paper for $1 off 2 Post cereals (made them $0.99 each!)
*Manufacturer q for $1 off school supplies wyb 2 Cheez Its (made my filler paper FREE!)
*FL q for $1 off any salty snacks $3.50 or more (made my chips $1.65 a bag!)
*FL q for $1 off any shelf stable juice purchase $3.00 or more. This made my 8 juices cost just 37 cents each!! I said *see below because they are BOGO, and no price is listed in the ad but the sign in store said "99 cents" so, I thought BOGO @ 99 cents NOT BOGO @ $1.99 which was apparently the reg. price each. But, the managers at Food Lion are awesome and easy to work with and she gave me the advertised price of 99 cents, so she had the cashier ring 4 @ 99 cents each (which is technically the BOGO price) and I got the other 4 "free" so I paid $2.96 for all 8 ($3.96-$1 juice store q) which is 37 cents each, whoo!)
*FL coupon for $3 off my produce purchase of $15 or more. This was from the machine, and simply icing on the cake because I was going to buy produce anyway :)
*FL manufacturer coupons for $2.50 off 2 Dole or Fresh Express salads (this was a peelie on a bag of onions I bought back in April, but was for use only at Food Lion, though it was a man. coupon--this made each salad kit $1.74!
*Manufacturer coupon for $1 off ANY fresh pork (printable from a while back). This made all 8 pounds of that cost only $6.27, so $0.79 per pound which is awesome for fresh meat :)
Total after coupons/sales: $35.84 (about 63% off)
This seemed good to me for real foods, and most of the things we needed. But, I did have one more trip so fr this week--and that was Kroger.
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Kroger:
1 Breakstone's 16 oz sour cream, $0.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale, reg. $2.69
1 Blue Bunny Ice Cream tub, $2.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale, reg. $6.19
2 Land O Frost Premium Minis, $2.09 on closeout, reg. $4.19
1 Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel, $0.74 on closeout, reg. $2.59
1 Clear Men's Shampoo, $6.99 reg. price
Total pre-card/closeouts/sales: $80.39
Coupons used:
3 Orville Redenbacher $1 off 1 naturals (this was a pad in front of the item, expires today)--these had a tag on the shelf for $2 each, so I was expecting them to cost me $1 each. But they rang up at $2.88 full price, so Kroger gave me 2 FREE as part of their "Scan Rite Guarantee", so after my $3 in coupons went through, I actually got paid $0.12 to buy all 3 :)
3 Hillshire Farm $1 off 1 coupons from the 7/28 paper. This made each pack only $0.98!!!
4 Gillette Fusion Shave Prep coupons for $2 off each, from the 7/28 P&G (made these 1 cent overage ea!)
1 Tyson Chicken $1 off any fresh or frozen (expired 7/30, from back in April!)
1 Blue Bunny $1 off 1 ice cream, peelie on the ice cream! Made this $1.99!
2 Land O Frost $1 off 1 Premium Minis (from 7/28 paper) made these $1.09 each--straight to the freezer!
1 FREE Clear Shampoo from the Kroger Free Friday Download specials (don't forget to check those EVERY Friday!!)
Total paid: $17.50 with tax
Since the chicken was a re-stock for us, and we got meats and some dairy we needed/wanted--this was a good deal. We saved 80%!
Food Lion: these deals are no longer valid since they ended yesterday.
7 Pillsbury Stars and Stripes Cake Mix--reg. price $0.99, on Big Deal for $0.49 per box! reg. $1.25
1 Betty Crocker Muffin Mix--$1.99, on Big Deal for $1.49 per box--reg. $3.29
2 Tyson Chicken Nuggets--$3.29, on Big Deal for $2.79 per box--reg. $3.29
1 bag of Food Lion tater tots--reg. price of $1.99 each
Pre-card/coupon price: $20.61
Coupons used:
1 $1 off 2 Pillsbury mixes or frostings (made two of those FREE)
1 $0.50 off 1 Betty Crocker muffin mix (made it $0.99)
2 $1 off any 1 Tyson chicken, fresh or frozen (made these $1.79 a box)
1 Food Lion coupon for $1 off any Food Lion potatoes, made those $0.99
I also used a $3 catalina I had from the BirdsEye deal back in June
We paid: $5.29 in all.
We saved: 75%
So, for everything above (Kroger x2, Food Lion x2, and Walmart) we paid : $62.68 and got back $6.50 in Extra Bucks, for a net total of $56.18 for the foods we needed/wanted. I should mention that we have plenty of tomatoes, corn, beans, etc from my family's gardens so we do save lots by not having to buy those things :) But, I am pleased to say I saved a ton on other staples and items we needed to restock on :)
Kroger:
The following are on the Buy 5, Save $5--*must buy 5 items to get these prices, can do 4 setsof 5 in one transaction*Hillshire Farm Brats (reg. 3.99)---1.98 on the sale
-----use the $1 off 1 pack from the 7/28 paper and pay just $0.98 per pack (75% off!) Stock up!!!
Ben and Jerry's Pints (reg. 3.99 I believe)---1.99 on the sale
-----use a $2.50 off 3 from couponnetwork.com and pay just $1.16 each (70% off)
Kraft Mayo 22oz to 30oz (reg. 3.14)----2.14
----there are peelies on some jars and I'm sure there are internet printables for the same for $1 off 2--if you had one of these, it would be $1.64 each jar (47% off)--this isn't stock up price, but a good price.
Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs--1.48 a pack
----I could not find a coupon for these, but that's a decent price
Cheez It Crackers (reg. 3.79 maybe)---1.99 a box
----there is a Keebler "Back to School" Bus in Kroger stores and it features various products, but there's also a savings book attached to the bus stand and there are several coupons in it (snag one!)- for these, there's a Buy 2 Cheez Its, save $1 on school supplies. You could buy 1 pack of filler paper for $0.75 (on sale) and a pack of PaperMate Pens (on sale for $0.33 each) and you pay a total of $4.06 for the crackers and the school stuff :) However, see what I did below.
Smuckers Spreads (reg. around 2.99 or 3.49)---on the sale for $1.99
----there's a $0.75 off 1 Smuckers Naturals that would make this $1.25 a jar! Sometimes, these sales only cover certain flavors/types so I am not sure if the "naturals" is on it. If not, take the ad to Walmart and match the $1.99 price and pay the $1.25 without having to buy 5 things :)
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (reg. around 2.99 a box)---on the sale for $1.49 box
----use a $0.50/2 coupon and pay $1.24 per box
Tyson Boneless Chicken 3lb bag (reg. 9.99/bag)---on sale for $6.99
Dawn Dish Detergent (reg. 2.89)---on sale for $1.89
---use a $0.50 off 1 Dawn (select varieties) from the P&G 7/28 and pay just $1.39 (big bottle!)
Boulder Canyon Chips (reg. $3.29 I think)---on the sale for $1.49 per bag
--these are in the organic section and a very good price!
Gillette Fusion Shave Gel (reg. $3.99 to $4.49)---on the sale for $1.99 each
---buy these with the $2 off 1 Gillette Fusion Shave Gel in the P&G 7/28 and they're FREE (1 cent overage)
---if you only want one thing from the buy 5, save $5, you could buy 4 of the shaving gels (stock up!) and they count towards your purchase requirements :)
Produce Sales (not on the Buy 5, Save $5)
Peaches, Roma Tomatoes, Green Beans or Eggplants are all $0.99/lb
Kroger Grape Tomatoes are $1.50 per 10 oz box
Lettuces (red, romaine, green leaf, or head) are all $0.99 each
Cantaloupes are $1.99 each
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Food Lion:
*The Buy One, Get One sales are really good this time! Food Lion policy is that you can buy 1 at half price, so you don't need to buy 2 to get the half-off price. There are also some really good non-BOGO sales I'm going to mention.These items are BOGO: I am listing the FULL RETAIL PRICE. BOGO is at full price, but half these if you want the price for just one :)
Post Fruity or Chocolate Pebbles: $2.99
---pair with a $1/2 any Post adults or kids cereals from the 7/28 paper and pay just $0.99 per box. My stock-up price for cereal is $1 or under a box, so this works!
Cheez-Its: $3.99 (this is the same price per box at Kroger, but there are catalinas for $1 off your $3.50 cookie or cracker purchase that Food Lion was giving out so is a better deal IF you have one of those--would be $2.99 for two boxes, or $1.50/box!)
LAYS or UTZ Chips 9-10oz: $4.29
--there's also a catalina out there for $1 off your $3.50 purchase of salty snacks from Food Lion, but if not, these would be $2.15 a bag. That's a good price for name brand chips :)
Pompeian Olive Oil (Extra Virgin and Light): Light was $5.99 and EV was $7.49
---This item is on https://savingstar.com/ and when you buy 2, you will get $1.50 back. If you buy 2 of the Light oils, you will pay $5.99 (and tax) and get $1.50 back for a final price of $2.25 per bottle. That's awesome! However, if you just want one bottle, $3 to $3.75 a bottle is great!
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks: $2.79 (pouches of snacks)-$3.29 (Fruit by the Foot and Gushers)
---use the $0.50/2 and pay just $1.15-$1.40 per box! This is cheaper than the price at Kroger :)
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice 32 oz: $1.99
---this would make the 64 oz (which is the usual jug size) cost $1.99; that's decent but I got lucky lol
Toaster Strudels: $2.79
---use a $0.50/2 or a $0.75/3 to pay just $1.15 per box! If you have the $0.75/3 coupon, you will need to buy 3 boxes but it's still the same price/box since Food Lion rings each up at half off.
Ore Ida frozen potatoes (fries, tater tots, and hashbrowns, and shreds): $3.49
---for a name brand bag of potatoes, $1.75 each is great!
Non-BOGO Sales:
The following are not on the BOGO sale but are good deals!Hellman's Mayo: $2.50/jar but the coupon machine at Food Lion is giving out a $1 off 2 coupon, this makes each jar $2 but use 2 coupons from the 7/28 paper for $0.50 off 1 and pay just $1.50 per jar! (Better than the price for Kraft at Kroger!)
Charmin Basic 6 Double Rolls: on sale for $3.99, but a coupon from the machine gives a $1 off, so it's $2.99, but pair with a $0.25/1 coupon from the P&G 7/28 and pay just $2.74! (46 cents a roll)
--obviously, this isn't stock up price, but if you need some tp to get you buy for now, it's good :)
ALL Laundry detergent: $2.99 use a $0.75/1 and pay $2.24!
ERA detergent: $2.99 with store coupon (from coupon machine) and will be $1.99 with manufacturer coupon for $1 off (from a Smart Source in earlier July I believe)
Bird's Eye Voila Dinners: $3.49, there is an internet printable for $2/1 the Chipotle chicken one
--this makes this dinner only $1.49! but there are also paper coupons for $1/1
Country Crock big tub: $3, pair with a $0.40/1 coupon from the 7/28 paper and it's $2.60! This runs over $3 just about everywhere AFTER coupons usually, so this is a good deal.
Produce Deals:
Food Lion is my favorite for produce, everyone knows that :) this week there are some decent savings, but no one had WOW-me prices. Still, these are pretty good.
White Potatoes, 5 lb bag $2 (reg. $2.99)
Yellow onions, 3 lb bag $1.79
Garlic is 2 bunches for $1
Limes are 5 for $1
Baby Carrots, 1 lb bag for $1.29 (these are $1.69 at Kroger...)
Blackberries and raspberries are $2.50 for a box
**remember, if you don't need to go to Food Lion and want to just price match these prices at Walmart--you can! I think Food Lion's produce is fresher and un-picked over and often, more blemish free than Walmart's but hey, nothing wrong with price matching instead if you like :)
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Dollar General:
If you're going to Walmart, these are AWESOME prices to price match to from Dollar General. When I did this, I had the ad, but again, Walmart's policy says they don't need it. I did not want to drive 20 minutes to the closest DG Market, but I did drive 5 minutes and match these :)Avocados: 50 cents each! Yeah, that's as low as we will get here in VA but that's MUCH better than Walmart's price of $1.38 each (gross)
Cucumbers and green bell peppers: 25 cents each! These were 68-78 cents each at Walmart, you'll save 43 to 53 cents each!!
Roma Tomatoes: 2 lbs for $1. I would word it as "50 cents a pound" to them, so you don't need to buy 2 pounds, unless you want to :) this is a CRAZY price, since these usually run anywhere from 99 cents/lb on sale to 1.99/lb not on sale.
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Here's What I've Done This Week:
I shopped at Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, and CVS to buy the things we needed.
CVS:
CVS has a food deal this week with certain Unilever products (Hellmann's, Lipton, Skippy, and Classico) where you spend $10, and get $3 ExtraBucks. I combined a few other deals for which Andrew had coupons to get the following on HIS card:
2 Classico Alfredo sauces, on sale 3 for $5 ($1.67 each)***
2 Skippy Peanut Butters, on sale 2 for $5 ($2.50 each)
---used two internet printable (from coupons.com) $0.55 off 1 and got these for $1.95 each! There's a $0.75/2 coupon in the 7/28 paper, but using 2 printables saved me an extra 35 cents :)
1 30 oz Hellmann's Mayo, on sale for $3
---used 1 coupon from the 7/28 paper for $0.50/1 which made this $2.50
1 Starbucks Iced Coffee (sorry it's empty! lol) on sale for $1.50
---used a $1/1 printable from the internet (it says no longer available :/ ) made this $0.50
2 Herbal Essences shampoos, on sale 2 for $5
2 Herbal Essences conditioners/stylers, on sale 2 for $5
---used 2 Buy One shampoo, get one conditioner/styler FREE (up to $4.99) it auto-deducts at that price so I paid 2 cents total for all 4, that's a stock-up price for sure! Gets better (see below)
I used a $2 off any $8 hair car coupon Andrew got, and his $3 off any $15 purchase from 2 weeks ago (remember, CVS accepts expired CVS coupons!) and since our purchase total was over $23 total, we were able to use those both together.
Pre-card total (exc. tax): $36
After coupons and sales: we paid $6 exactly including taxes
We received $6.50 in ExtraBucks ($2 from the Herbal Essences, $3 from the foods, and $1.50 from the Starbucks) so we made $1 from the iced coffee and 1.98 from the shampoo/conditioner. See, better than free :) But really, we spent $6 and got $6.50 in return so made $0.50. We needed mayo and peanut butter, and I got paid to buy it yay!
***This deal could get better IF you get savingstar (come on, what are you waiting for?!?!) and add the "buy $15 in Classico, get $5 back" to your account. You could buy 6 sauces, pay your $10 plus tax at CVS and get $3 ExtraBucks and then before the date ends (9/25 I believe) you would need to buy another $5 worth of Classico, but you would get $5 back. So, you would pay around $7 for at least 8 or 9 sauces total, which is less than $1 per jar, and a great price on this brand! Message me if you have any questions about Savingstar!
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Food Lion and Walmart:
I went to Walmart and price matched some produce:
6 avocados, 2 cucumbers, 1 green pepper (reg. $1.38 each, $0.68 each, and $0.78 each respectively)
and got 1 box of Twix ice cream bars (reg. $2.97)
Total pre-match and coupons:
$13.72
*I told them the avocados were 50 cents each, but she typed in 25 cents and must have meant to do that only for the cucumbers and pepper, but I didn't catch it until after I left that she actually typed in 25 cents for the avocados, too. I ended up paying 25 cents for EACH avocado, instead of 50 cents so we'll chalk this up to luck and a bonus for the times Walmart DIDN'T have what I needed lol. And I used a $2 off 1 Twix, Snickers, Dove, or Milky Way ice cream bars (internet printable from over a month ago, expired today...)
Total after match and coupons: with tax, $3.34 AND I got a FREE Redbox night on the box of ice cream :)
Then I went to Food Lion for a bigger grocery trip :) I got several things we needed and some things that were just on a good deal, but my favorite find was the pork!! Remember, from above that they have the BOGO sale on and it's got some good finds :)
2 Red Baron pizzas @ $4.19 total (or, $2.09 each)
2 Ore Ida Fries @ $3.49 total (or, $1.74 each)
2 Post Pebbles @ $2.99 total (or, $1.49 each)
2 Cheez Its @ $3.99 total ($1.99 each)--for the record, TRY THIS FLAVOR. It is AMAZING!
2 Bags of Chips, one Lays and one UTZ (same price) @ $4.29 total ($2.15 each)
8 Ocean Spray Cranberry Juices @ $3.96 total* (see below) reg. $15.92
1 thing of filler note-paper @ $0.99 total reg. $1.79
1 bag of yellow onions, 3 lbs @ $1.79 total reg. $2.19
1 bag of russet potatoes, 10 lbs @ $4.59 total reg. price
2 bags of Dole Salad kits @ $5.98 total ($2.99 each) reg. price of $3.49 each
2 whole garlics @ $1 ($0.50 each) reg. $1.06
3 limes @ $0.60 total ($0.20 each) reg. $0.75
2 bananas @ $0.50 total ($0.25 each) reg. price.
1 bunch of cilantro @ $0.79 total reg. price
1 Boston pork butt @ $7.27 on manager's special. I was SO EXCITED for this because it's 8 POUNDS of pork to be smoked and made into some awesome things. The original price was $24. Whoa.
Total pre-card/coupons: $96.47 without tax
Coupons used:
*Food Lion coupon (FL q) for $1 off frozen veggies, any kind $3.50 or more (for the potatoes) made them $1.25 a bag!
*Manufacturer q from 7/28 paper for $1 off 2 Post cereals (made them $0.99 each!)
*Manufacturer q for $1 off school supplies wyb 2 Cheez Its (made my filler paper FREE!)
*FL q for $1 off any salty snacks $3.50 or more (made my chips $1.65 a bag!)
*FL q for $1 off any shelf stable juice purchase $3.00 or more. This made my 8 juices cost just 37 cents each!! I said *see below because they are BOGO, and no price is listed in the ad but the sign in store said "99 cents" so, I thought BOGO @ 99 cents NOT BOGO @ $1.99 which was apparently the reg. price each. But, the managers at Food Lion are awesome and easy to work with and she gave me the advertised price of 99 cents, so she had the cashier ring 4 @ 99 cents each (which is technically the BOGO price) and I got the other 4 "free" so I paid $2.96 for all 8 ($3.96-$1 juice store q) which is 37 cents each, whoo!)
*FL coupon for $3 off my produce purchase of $15 or more. This was from the machine, and simply icing on the cake because I was going to buy produce anyway :)
*FL manufacturer coupons for $2.50 off 2 Dole or Fresh Express salads (this was a peelie on a bag of onions I bought back in April, but was for use only at Food Lion, though it was a man. coupon--this made each salad kit $1.74!
*Manufacturer coupon for $1 off ANY fresh pork (printable from a while back). This made all 8 pounds of that cost only $6.27, so $0.79 per pound which is awesome for fresh meat :)
Total after coupons/sales: $35.84 (about 63% off)
This seemed good to me for real foods, and most of the things we needed. But, I did have one more trip so fr this week--and that was Kroger.
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Kroger:
This photo actually has a few items from Food Lion in it (from Sunday, which ended yesterday) so I'll break those down below the Kroger stuff. This was from the Kroger Buy 5, Save $5 going on now (until 8/3).
Kroger:
3 Orville Redenbacher Naturals, $2.88 reg. price @ $8.64 total
3 Hillshire Farm Bratwursts, $1.98 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale reg. $3.99
2 Gillette Fusion Shave Gel, $1.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale reg. $4.49
2 Gillette Fusion Shave Cream, $1.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale reg. $3.99
1 Tyson Chicken 3 lb bag, $6.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale reg. $9.99
1 Emerald Dark Chocolate nuts, on closeout for $1.60 (reg. price was $5.99)1 Breakstone's 16 oz sour cream, $0.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale, reg. $2.69
1 Blue Bunny Ice Cream tub, $2.99 on the Buy 5, save $5 sale, reg. $6.19
2 Land O Frost Premium Minis, $2.09 on closeout, reg. $4.19
1 Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel, $0.74 on closeout, reg. $2.59
1 Clear Men's Shampoo, $6.99 reg. price
Total pre-card/closeouts/sales: $80.39
Coupons used:
3 Orville Redenbacher $1 off 1 naturals (this was a pad in front of the item, expires today)--these had a tag on the shelf for $2 each, so I was expecting them to cost me $1 each. But they rang up at $2.88 full price, so Kroger gave me 2 FREE as part of their "Scan Rite Guarantee", so after my $3 in coupons went through, I actually got paid $0.12 to buy all 3 :)
3 Hillshire Farm $1 off 1 coupons from the 7/28 paper. This made each pack only $0.98!!!
4 Gillette Fusion Shave Prep coupons for $2 off each, from the 7/28 P&G (made these 1 cent overage ea!)
1 Tyson Chicken $1 off any fresh or frozen (expired 7/30, from back in April!)
1 Blue Bunny $1 off 1 ice cream, peelie on the ice cream! Made this $1.99!
2 Land O Frost $1 off 1 Premium Minis (from 7/28 paper) made these $1.09 each--straight to the freezer!
1 FREE Clear Shampoo from the Kroger Free Friday Download specials (don't forget to check those EVERY Friday!!)
Total paid: $17.50 with tax
Since the chicken was a re-stock for us, and we got meats and some dairy we needed/wanted--this was a good deal. We saved 80%!
Food Lion: these deals are no longer valid since they ended yesterday.
7 Pillsbury Stars and Stripes Cake Mix--reg. price $0.99, on Big Deal for $0.49 per box! reg. $1.25
1 Betty Crocker Muffin Mix--$1.99, on Big Deal for $1.49 per box--reg. $3.29
2 Tyson Chicken Nuggets--$3.29, on Big Deal for $2.79 per box--reg. $3.29
1 bag of Food Lion tater tots--reg. price of $1.99 each
Pre-card/coupon price: $20.61
Coupons used:
1 $1 off 2 Pillsbury mixes or frostings (made two of those FREE)
1 $0.50 off 1 Betty Crocker muffin mix (made it $0.99)
2 $1 off any 1 Tyson chicken, fresh or frozen (made these $1.79 a box)
1 Food Lion coupon for $1 off any Food Lion potatoes, made those $0.99
I also used a $3 catalina I had from the BirdsEye deal back in June
We paid: $5.29 in all.
We saved: 75%
So, for everything above (Kroger x2, Food Lion x2, and Walmart) we paid : $62.68 and got back $6.50 in Extra Bucks, for a net total of $56.18 for the foods we needed/wanted. I should mention that we have plenty of tomatoes, corn, beans, etc from my family's gardens so we do save lots by not having to buy those things :) But, I am pleased to say I saved a ton on other staples and items we needed to restock on :)
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Money Maker Hair Care and Iced Coffee at CVS
Saturday morning at 4:30, I wrote a blog but did not share it on Facebook, so if you'd like to check it out--you can: HERE :)
I hope everyone got a paper or a few today because the coupons were great! There are several that won't be used this week but I'm sure will make for great deals in a few weeks. But, as for this week--we have a couple awesome money maker situations at CVS, and some penny school supplies (yea, a penny!).
Here's what Andrew and I did this morning: we spent a total of $10.19 and got back $21.49 at CVS and OfficeMax. These deals were awesome!
I hope everyone got a paper or a few today because the coupons were great! There are several that won't be used this week but I'm sure will make for great deals in a few weeks. But, as for this week--we have a couple awesome money maker situations at CVS, and some penny school supplies (yea, a penny!).
Here's what Andrew and I did this morning: we spent a total of $10.19 and got back $21.49 at CVS and OfficeMax. These deals were awesome!
CVS:
This week at CVS, you can actually make a decent profit on Herbal Essences, Tena Pads, and Starbucks Iced Coffee. I took advantage of these sales for a couple people in my family, so I won't be keeping the pads or the hair care, but I got paid to buy it and here's how:
Herbal Essences are on sale $5 for 2 products (stylers, shampoo, and conditioner) reg. $3.99-$4.49
--Buy 2, receive $1 Extra Buck (the ad states limit 1, but not the case!!!!)
--use a coupon from today's P&G insert (7/28) for Buy one Shampoo, get a Conditioner or Styler FREE (up to $4.99)
since the coupon will go through at max value, you will pay a total of $0.28 in tax, and get $1 Extra Buck so you get a 72 cent money maker for each set of 2 you buy :)
*The ad says limit 1 per card, but the deal must be a month long deal because when I purchased 3 sets of 2, I actually got $3 Extra Bucks and my receipt says it can be done 3 more times...I will be going back later in the week to use 3 more coupons to do the same deal again. Since P&G coupons are limit 4 per household per day, I just held on to the others :) Also, if anyone STILL has those $5/2 Clairol item coupons, they could be used the same way with the same result, except they expire on Wednesday!
Starbucks Iced Coffee is on sale for $1.50 (reg. $1.99)
It will be FREE after you get $1.50 Extra Buck for buying but a MONEY MAKER if you use a coupon :)
---Use a $1 coupon (Google Starbucks Iced Coffee coupon, it's on coupons.com)
---pay a total of $0.54 (50 cents plus tax) and get $1.50 Extra Buck for a $0.96 cent mm
Tena Pads are on sale for buy one at reg. price (varied) get one 50% off
They are on a promotion with Johnson and Johnson products: spend $30 get $10 Extra Bucks, or spend $50, get $20 Extra Bucks
---Some of you are probably thinking these are a funny way for me to spend time on couponing, but I have two family members who buy these regularly and I just saved them like 94% so...
I had 5 of the Tena coupons from the 7/14 paper for "Up to $5 off ANY Tena pads" because I accidentally lost one of them :( but there were $1 coupons in the store, so I bought 6 items and used 6 coupons (5 at $5 and 1 at $1)
5 packs were $7.29 and 1 pack was $4.19 (2 of the bigger packs rang up half off at $3.64 and the smaller pack rang up half off at $2.09)
Here's what my transaction looked like:
6 Herbal Essences products at $2.50 each ($15 total)
6 packs of Tena Pads at $31.25 total (after the sale)
1 Starbucks Iced Coffee at $1.50 sale
1 case of CVS water for $2.44 on sale
Coupons used:
CVS coupon for $3 off any $15 shampoo, conditioner, styler purchase (this 'paid' for my water!)
3 BOGO FREE Herbal Essences from today's paper (took off $4.99 each, so $14.97 off)
5 Tena coupons for $5 off any Tena products from 7/14 paper (took off $25)
1 Tena coupon for $1 off any Tena product
1 Starbucks Iced Coffee coupon which I printed today from coupons.com (took $1 off)
$5 in Extra Bucks
My subtotal was 21 cents (!) and tax was $2.55 so we paid a cash total of $2.76
I received a $10 Extra Bucks from the Tena pads, a $1.50 Extra Buck from the Starbucks, and a $3 Extra Bucks from the Herbal Essences for a total of $14.50 in new Extra Bucks :)
I turned a previous $5 into $14.50 new so that's cool!
I could also look at it as: I paid about the same amount for a case of water, and got everything else free (and then some) haha
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Office Max:
We then went to Office Max because they have some great deals this week on office/school stuff. The penny deals don't require a paper, but the Sharpie highlighter deal does require the store coupon from the paper today.
Sales:
500 sheet ream of Office Max paper, on sale for $6.99 and receive a $6.98 store reward (like paying a penny!)
Clear pencil pouches, reg. $2 each, on sale for 1 cent when you spend at least $5 in store (limit 5)
Small scissors, reg. $1.50 each, on sale for 1 cent when you spend at least $5 in store (limit 2)
Sharpie 4 pack of highlighters, reg. price $3/pack, FREE with in-store coupon (limit 2 per coupon)
I bought the above, and paid a total of $7.43 and will get back $6.98 in Office Max rewards. My net total is $0.45 for $32.79 worth of office supplies, and who doesn't need computer paper?? Since Andrew was with me, we used 2 of the FREE Sharpie highlighter coupons and he got 2 also, and those do not require tax so they are 100% completely FREE after coupon, yay!
I am not sure yet, but I think the Office Max FREE Sharpie coupon could be taken to WalMart and used to score a couple packs there, too. The store policy says they will take competitor coupons for branded products, so I have not tried this yet but plan to later in the week since I have 4 more coupons :)
I will be working on some coupon match-ups later in the week, once I sort through my binder and see what I still have and see what store sales look good. I can say that Kroger has some decent prices on ice cream and frozen chicken, but not sure about the rest yet.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
You Might be a Couponer If.... && What Can You Save Per Year?
So, what do you do at 4:30am if you cannot sleep? Usually I would play Tetris on my phone or turn on Golden Girls (yes, I own the boxed set DVD collection!) but this time, I thought I would try writing. Although the post I am currently creating does pertain to couponing, it's just a little humor and I promise I'll get back to the weekly match-ups in my next post (this should be a GREAT weekend for coupons).
As anyone who regularly collects and uses coupons can tell you, it is an addicting hobby and sometimes, can get in the way of life. Anyway, if any of these apply to you, then you may just be a couponer :)
1. You notice your math skills have actually improved since your Calc finals in college.
-----True story. I can spout off percentages and add and subtract with greater ease and accuracy than I did during any math course in high school or college. In fact, I will be teaching MATH long term at my middle school so hopefully my increased awareness to numbers will come in handy! Perhaps I can even use coupons to help kids develop their skills.
2. There are coupons floating around you everywhere.
-----Coupons in the living room, kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, your purse or bags, the car, and even your husband's pants' pocket which you find AFTER washing :/ The moral of this part is that I need to be better about clipping an organizing right away or else, I will lose coupons that I did want or need, or I'll find myself picking up coupons my dog decides are play toys that need to be defeated. I'm sure scrapbookers or jewelry makers, etc. can understand where I'm coming from here---there's just no limit to where those little sheets of paper (or whatever) will travel to and where you'll be finding them.
3. You're the GOOGLE of the grocery/shopping world.
-----My sister called the other day to ask if I knew which store had a good deal on product x. I love that I got to chat with her, but I'm just going to be honest--just because I'm a savvy shopper doesn't mean I know the price of everything in every store. I can say that you do get to know every day prices at various stores, so there is some degree of certainty that couponers can in fact tell you if you're getting a good deal or not. Couponers will have grandma, mom, dad, everyone asking where to get a good deal or when to buy something. This does make you feel useful and it does make for a chance to show off your skills to your family and friends, so it's okay.
4. You actually enjoy grocery shopping and it is FUN to walk into a store.
-----Some of you may be laughing out loud to this (judging by my list of Facebook friends who's once a week status about dreading grocery errands) but I assure you that if you coupon regularly, you see grocery shopping (or shopping in general) as a fun event. At the very least, you don't dread it so much you would consider stealing ketchup packets from McDonald's to avoid running into Kroger for your next cookout. Couponers feel like they harness some unspoken knowledge when they walk into a store--like they belong to some secret club where everything they buy will be 50-90% off guaranteed. No wonder those of us who do this don't dread going into a store then, because every trip is the equivalent of Black Friday, and every walk in is a chance to beat a previous record or savings or "awesome finds". To me, couponing is a game to be won--I like to see how much stuff or what quality of stuff I can get for the least amount possible. If I save $100 per month on my grocery bill, then I have $100 to save or use to go on dates with my husband that we not otherwise get :)
5. You get more coupons/mailers/free products/ads in the mail than bills!
----I will go as far as to say that even junk mail is better than bills :) I don't consider the above junk mail since I like getting free things in the mail (this week I have gotten a free trial of Always, a free bottle of shampoo, a free razor for my husband, and some coupons for wine!)--but if you notice that your "try me!" packages are outnumbering "official" mail, then congratulations--you have joined the club!
6. You cringe at the total that the people in line in front of you are paying.
----Although in a perfect society, check out lanes would be soundproof and sight proof so no one around could hear or see your business, but let's face it---America is a country of nosy people!! It does not take someone with bloodhound senses to overhear the cashier at CVS say "your total is: $51.80" to the lady in front of you. And by the way, to that lady that my sister and I were behind a few days ago who paid $51.80 for detergent, toothpaste, pads, and candy---you really got ripped off! I found myself actually shaking my head to the totals I hear sometimes, because I know how much you can really spend, and how much the stores want you to spend on the same product. I know that stores make their money on people like the lady at CVS who overpaid for everything she bought because A) she didn't have coupons or B) she didn't care that she was wasting at least $30 at that moment. Stores count on people who shop on a whim or who don't wait for a sale to buy what they need. I'm not saying that having loads of disposable income is a bad thing, but I know I'd rather spend it at the movies, out to dinner, or on vacation when everything is overpriced anyway. On the other hand....
7. You get the evil eye from cashiers or other customers because you have to do more than swipe your card at checkout.
----I understand that people are in a hurry when it's 5:30 pm and you need milk and you just want to get home. However, A) you waited until the last possible minute to get your milk and B) if I'm getting cheaper groceries and saving money, I am going to make sure everything goes through okay. I know there are bad couponers, just like there are bad [insert group name here]'s, too. But there are good couponers, and people who plan ahead to make sure they aren't wasting lots of time actually checking out or they let you go in front of them since you have 1 thing and they have more. Or, they give you a coupon while you're checking out or they turn around and give you something free after they "buy" it (to the lady in Kroger--was your gum a nice surprise?). Not all of us are bad, time-sucking people or evil people who threaten to sue over 10 cents :) But, we do still get "THE GLARE" every now and then from shoppers who assume we are the bad extreme couponers.
9. You will NEVER again pay for certain things and you're disgusted by the amount you used to shell out for such things.
----Andrew and I actually sat down and calculated the savings for a family of four (on average) for the following items: oral care, hair care, feminine products, shaving needs, and body/shower needs. We totaled that on average, the American individual will spend between $300-$400 yearly on such items (these were figured using the average price of the lower off-brand and the mainstream premium brands). A family of 4 could save $1200 to $1600 yearly, and if you factor in makeup---add another $100 or so to that total. WOW!!!
Now, I know some of you are going to respond with: "I buy product X and they only sell that at the salon" or "I know for certain that we are not spending that much on those items"....I have some answers!
A) You only buy certain products: I know we all have our morals and standards, like people who only buy MAC cosmetics because they donate proceeds, or only buy Nexxus because it's a great salon brand, or [whatever reason or item here] and I can't argue that having a preference is a bad thing. I'm allergic to Snuggle fabric softener and Zest body wash and soap, so even if I get those things free, I don't buy them! (If I could get them to donate I would but anyway)---with coupons and sales, I've been able to get Nexxus, Chi, and Organix products free and those aren't "cheap" brands. I still have my preferences, and I still buy the things I really want, but I take the opportunity to get free things and use it as a way to try other brands (like Neutrogena shampoo, which I now love). I guarantee you, you could still save big money on the items you're currently in love with! There are coupons all over the internet for fancy companies, so even if you're not getting your faves completely free---it is certain you could get a better deal.
My point is: you can avoid paying ANYTHING but taxes on the items I listed above. I know there's another big argument:
B) You don't believe you spend that much per year: this could be true, since you could buy the Dollar Store brand of all of those products and save tons of money already--however, I would challenge you to actually add up your totals per month and see what you're spending. Couponers know that you can get all of the health/beauty items listed completely free at any time of the year, and couponers won't pay for things like that again :)
I'll break some of these totals down, so you can where couponers are saving. Andrew and I are shocked when we think about how we used to actually buy such items at such prices because we needed them and it's not like you can avoid taking baths, shaving, or wearing deodorant :)
::Considering the average 4 count razor cartridge pack is $15, and the average American male will use at least 1 new cartridge per month, you would spend roughly $45 annually to shave (excluding the initial razor and anything you shave with like gel or cream)
::The average bottle of shampoo will last a month, if that bottle was $3, you will pay at least $36 a year and double goes if you use conditioner!
::Mouthwash, on average, is $4 (low!) per bottle--if you use one bottle over 2 months, you would spend $24 per year on that. I know that's a low number since many cost $6/bottle and so on, but you get the idea.
So, just buying razor refills, mouthwash, and shampoo: you might spend $105 annually per person (this is only counting those 3 items, not the rest of the toiletries you need!) so at least $300 or so for a family here. If you only bought one newspaper every Sunday for a year, you'd spend roughly $52 (if you get it for a dollar...) but since you'd get the toiletries for free or close to free, you're going to save AT LEAST $150-$200 on those three things alone!!
***I know, I know--not everyone will spend the same and not every family needs everything mentioned, it's just an idea into how couponers think---never pay for items I can get for free. I'd say we go a step further and calculate our "best price" for all of our groceries. I won't spend over $4 for the 100 count box of industrial trash bags because that's the best price I have gotten (considering they are, on average, $12/box for that size, 65% is good) but I can get mustard, ketchup, sauces, etc for pennies, so I will never buy them full priced again :) I have a spreadsheet that lists my lowest prices on items like meat, cheese, canned goods, and other groceries so if you want to know how much you're overpaying, take your current totals and half them instantly :) On average, coupons will save you at least 45-50% no joke. That's a lot of money, right!
Part of the saving is patience and effort, but if I save $200/month on groceries, I think it is worth it :)
As anyone who regularly collects and uses coupons can tell you, it is an addicting hobby and sometimes, can get in the way of life. Anyway, if any of these apply to you, then you may just be a couponer :)
You Might be a Couponer If...
1. You notice your math skills have actually improved since your Calc finals in college.
-----True story. I can spout off percentages and add and subtract with greater ease and accuracy than I did during any math course in high school or college. In fact, I will be teaching MATH long term at my middle school so hopefully my increased awareness to numbers will come in handy! Perhaps I can even use coupons to help kids develop their skills.
2. There are coupons floating around you everywhere.
-----Coupons in the living room, kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, your purse or bags, the car, and even your husband's pants' pocket which you find AFTER washing :/ The moral of this part is that I need to be better about clipping an organizing right away or else, I will lose coupons that I did want or need, or I'll find myself picking up coupons my dog decides are play toys that need to be defeated. I'm sure scrapbookers or jewelry makers, etc. can understand where I'm coming from here---there's just no limit to where those little sheets of paper (or whatever) will travel to and where you'll be finding them.
3. You're the GOOGLE of the grocery/shopping world.
-----My sister called the other day to ask if I knew which store had a good deal on product x. I love that I got to chat with her, but I'm just going to be honest--just because I'm a savvy shopper doesn't mean I know the price of everything in every store. I can say that you do get to know every day prices at various stores, so there is some degree of certainty that couponers can in fact tell you if you're getting a good deal or not. Couponers will have grandma, mom, dad, everyone asking where to get a good deal or when to buy something. This does make you feel useful and it does make for a chance to show off your skills to your family and friends, so it's okay.
4. You actually enjoy grocery shopping and it is FUN to walk into a store.
-----Some of you may be laughing out loud to this (judging by my list of Facebook friends who's once a week status about dreading grocery errands) but I assure you that if you coupon regularly, you see grocery shopping (or shopping in general) as a fun event. At the very least, you don't dread it so much you would consider stealing ketchup packets from McDonald's to avoid running into Kroger for your next cookout. Couponers feel like they harness some unspoken knowledge when they walk into a store--like they belong to some secret club where everything they buy will be 50-90% off guaranteed. No wonder those of us who do this don't dread going into a store then, because every trip is the equivalent of Black Friday, and every walk in is a chance to beat a previous record or savings or "awesome finds". To me, couponing is a game to be won--I like to see how much stuff or what quality of stuff I can get for the least amount possible. If I save $100 per month on my grocery bill, then I have $100 to save or use to go on dates with my husband that we not otherwise get :)
5. You get more coupons/mailers/free products/ads in the mail than bills!
----I will go as far as to say that even junk mail is better than bills :) I don't consider the above junk mail since I like getting free things in the mail (this week I have gotten a free trial of Always, a free bottle of shampoo, a free razor for my husband, and some coupons for wine!)--but if you notice that your "try me!" packages are outnumbering "official" mail, then congratulations--you have joined the club!
6. You cringe at the total that the people in line in front of you are paying.
----Although in a perfect society, check out lanes would be soundproof and sight proof so no one around could hear or see your business, but let's face it---America is a country of nosy people!! It does not take someone with bloodhound senses to overhear the cashier at CVS say "your total is: $51.80" to the lady in front of you. And by the way, to that lady that my sister and I were behind a few days ago who paid $51.80 for detergent, toothpaste, pads, and candy---you really got ripped off! I found myself actually shaking my head to the totals I hear sometimes, because I know how much you can really spend, and how much the stores want you to spend on the same product. I know that stores make their money on people like the lady at CVS who overpaid for everything she bought because A) she didn't have coupons or B) she didn't care that she was wasting at least $30 at that moment. Stores count on people who shop on a whim or who don't wait for a sale to buy what they need. I'm not saying that having loads of disposable income is a bad thing, but I know I'd rather spend it at the movies, out to dinner, or on vacation when everything is overpriced anyway. On the other hand....
7. You get the evil eye from cashiers or other customers because you have to do more than swipe your card at checkout.
----I understand that people are in a hurry when it's 5:30 pm and you need milk and you just want to get home. However, A) you waited until the last possible minute to get your milk and B) if I'm getting cheaper groceries and saving money, I am going to make sure everything goes through okay. I know there are bad couponers, just like there are bad [insert group name here]'s, too. But there are good couponers, and people who plan ahead to make sure they aren't wasting lots of time actually checking out or they let you go in front of them since you have 1 thing and they have more. Or, they give you a coupon while you're checking out or they turn around and give you something free after they "buy" it (to the lady in Kroger--was your gum a nice surprise?). Not all of us are bad, time-sucking people or evil people who threaten to sue over 10 cents :) But, we do still get "THE GLARE" every now and then from shoppers who assume we are the bad extreme couponers.
9. You will NEVER again pay for certain things and you're disgusted by the amount you used to shell out for such things.
----Andrew and I actually sat down and calculated the savings for a family of four (on average) for the following items: oral care, hair care, feminine products, shaving needs, and body/shower needs. We totaled that on average, the American individual will spend between $300-$400 yearly on such items (these were figured using the average price of the lower off-brand and the mainstream premium brands). A family of 4 could save $1200 to $1600 yearly, and if you factor in makeup---add another $100 or so to that total. WOW!!!
Part 2 of this blog post: What Could You Save Per Year??
Now, I know some of you are going to respond with: "I buy product X and they only sell that at the salon" or "I know for certain that we are not spending that much on those items"....I have some answers!
A) You only buy certain products: I know we all have our morals and standards, like people who only buy MAC cosmetics because they donate proceeds, or only buy Nexxus because it's a great salon brand, or [whatever reason or item here] and I can't argue that having a preference is a bad thing. I'm allergic to Snuggle fabric softener and Zest body wash and soap, so even if I get those things free, I don't buy them! (If I could get them to donate I would but anyway)---with coupons and sales, I've been able to get Nexxus, Chi, and Organix products free and those aren't "cheap" brands. I still have my preferences, and I still buy the things I really want, but I take the opportunity to get free things and use it as a way to try other brands (like Neutrogena shampoo, which I now love). I guarantee you, you could still save big money on the items you're currently in love with! There are coupons all over the internet for fancy companies, so even if you're not getting your faves completely free---it is certain you could get a better deal.
My point is: you can avoid paying ANYTHING but taxes on the items I listed above. I know there's another big argument:
B) You don't believe you spend that much per year: this could be true, since you could buy the Dollar Store brand of all of those products and save tons of money already--however, I would challenge you to actually add up your totals per month and see what you're spending. Couponers know that you can get all of the health/beauty items listed completely free at any time of the year, and couponers won't pay for things like that again :)
I'll break some of these totals down, so you can where couponers are saving. Andrew and I are shocked when we think about how we used to actually buy such items at such prices because we needed them and it's not like you can avoid taking baths, shaving, or wearing deodorant :)
::Considering the average 4 count razor cartridge pack is $15, and the average American male will use at least 1 new cartridge per month, you would spend roughly $45 annually to shave (excluding the initial razor and anything you shave with like gel or cream)
::The average bottle of shampoo will last a month, if that bottle was $3, you will pay at least $36 a year and double goes if you use conditioner!
::Mouthwash, on average, is $4 (low!) per bottle--if you use one bottle over 2 months, you would spend $24 per year on that. I know that's a low number since many cost $6/bottle and so on, but you get the idea.
So, just buying razor refills, mouthwash, and shampoo: you might spend $105 annually per person (this is only counting those 3 items, not the rest of the toiletries you need!) so at least $300 or so for a family here. If you only bought one newspaper every Sunday for a year, you'd spend roughly $52 (if you get it for a dollar...) but since you'd get the toiletries for free or close to free, you're going to save AT LEAST $150-$200 on those three things alone!!
***I know, I know--not everyone will spend the same and not every family needs everything mentioned, it's just an idea into how couponers think---never pay for items I can get for free. I'd say we go a step further and calculate our "best price" for all of our groceries. I won't spend over $4 for the 100 count box of industrial trash bags because that's the best price I have gotten (considering they are, on average, $12/box for that size, 65% is good) but I can get mustard, ketchup, sauces, etc for pennies, so I will never buy them full priced again :) I have a spreadsheet that lists my lowest prices on items like meat, cheese, canned goods, and other groceries so if you want to know how much you're overpaying, take your current totals and half them instantly :) On average, coupons will save you at least 45-50% no joke. That's a lot of money, right!
Part of the saving is patience and effort, but if I save $200/month on groceries, I think it is worth it :)
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Food Lion Deals 7/17-7/23
As mentioned in another post, Food Lion's Big Deal is on this week AND next week (until 7/30). The Big Deal breaks down as such:
Buy 10 items, get $5 off
Buy 20 items, get $10 off
Buy 30 items, get $15 off
That's $0.50 off each item, but unlike Kroger, Food Lion's ad on the shelf or in the paper only shows the PRE Big Deal price, so whatever is written in ad/on the shelf automatically deduct an extra $0.50 (but you MUST buy the above-listed increments to get the extra $$ off..much like the "buy 5, save 5" at Kroger).
These coupon matches are for this week, as I am not sure exactly what will be on the deal next week. Judging from the past, items did NOT change from week to week, but as with any business--you cannot bank on a grocery store to be consistent haha (if you have been following me you will know my complaints about Kroger's seemingly "make up the price at each store" policy ugh). BUT for so many reasons I like Food Lion better and they seem like they would be consistent so I will check next week's prices next week :)
First off, as I went to the store yesterday morning around 8:30am, I let the cashiers and the manager know I was only scoping out potential deals for my coupon blog and they were super accommodating and actually, a couple of them seemed interested to look into what I had been writing. Assuming this does not negatively affect the store's impression of couponers and/or me personally, I'll take that as a compliment :)
So, let's get to the list. Obviously, this is not extensive, and some of these prices may not seem great, but for people who aren't extreme they are comparable yet there are some really good deals, too!!
Items on the Big Deal (7/17-7/23): Final price reflects the Big Deal sale ($0.50 off each item)
:Pringles--on sale $5 for 3--use a store coupon from coupon machine** to take $1 off those 3 but pair with a manufacturer coupon from 6/30 Red Plum for $1 off 4 and pay $4.67 for 4 ($1.17 each) BUT after BD (Big Deal) savings which will deduct $0.50 off each ($2 total) you will pay $2.67 for all 4, that's $0.67 per can!
**This coupon is a Food Lion coupon, and although there is some contention as to whether you can 'stack'--in my experiences, you can because one is a store coupon and one is a manufacturer coupon and the store coupon does not state otherwise (it does not say "not to be combined with..." so...there's my take). IF you have trouble with the store q and man. q together, you will still get a great deal of $0.83/can if you then only buy 3 and don't use the man. q.
:Mt. Olive Pickles-- on sale 2 for $4, on BD sale for $1.50 each
--use the $0.50/1 from the 6/30 Smart Source to pay $1 per jar (these were bigger, > 16oz)
: Herbal Essences-- if you still have those awesome $5 off 2 Clairol items q from the 7/7 P&G then these will be completely FREE this week. The sale is $2.99, but take $0.50/each with the BD sale, and price drops to $2.49 so use that Clairol q here to get free shampoo/conditioner/stylers :)
: Fiber One bars--on sale 2 for $5, on BD sale 2 for $4
--use $0.50/1 from the 7/14 Smart Source and pay $1.50
:Hormel Compleats--2 for $4, on BD sale for $1.50 each
--use $1.50/3 from 7/14 Smart Source and pay $1 each OR use $1/1 Hormel Sandwich makers and pay $0.50 for those (not sure which insert this was from)
:Tyson Chicken Tenders Family Pack Bag (Frozen)-- on sale for $4.99, on BD sale $4.49
--use $1/1 Food Lion coupon from machine AND a man. q from the 7/14 Smart Source and pay just $2.49 for the bag! Or, $3.49 without one of those q's
:Febreze small candles--$2.99 on sale, $2.49 on BD sale
--use the $3/2 Febreze products from the 7/7 P&G and pay $1/candle (I know I got a bunch on clearance but that was only one scent and this is a really good price for non-clearance!!)
:General Mills cereals (many included, but at least Golden Grahams, Honey Nut and Multi-Grain Cheerios, Lucky Charms)--on sale 2 for $5, on BD sale 2 for $4
--there are SO. MANY. COUPONS. for General Mills cereals but I have figured the average will give you about $0.50 off each box so you'll pay ~$1.50 box with coupons BUT there are some good printables on Pillsbury.com for these brands (about $0.60-$0.85 off each) so you might get as low as $1.15 per box! I have a couple printable for Golden Grahams for $0.85 off each, so we will see!
:Nature Valley Granola bars--on sale 2 for $5, on BD sale for 2 for $4
--use the $1 off 2 from the coupon machine AND $0.50/1 from one of the June inserts and pay $1 per box :)
:Always Pads and Tampax Radiant--on sale for $3.99, on BD sale for $3.49
--use the high-value $2 off one box from the 7/7 P&G and pay just $1.49/box!
I do not have coupon matches for the following items (either I could not find any or more likely, there are none!) but these are still great deals on the Big Deal sale: (all prices reflect the BD sale of $0.50 off each item!)
:Oscar Meyer hot dogs will be $1.50/pack
:Cheetos/Fritos will also be $1.50/pack
:Bush's Baked Beans/Grillin Beans will be $1.17/can--these are the family cans!
:Pasta Roni will be $0.50/box!!
:Kellogg's cereals will be $2/box
:Pillsbury cake mixes--I am really excited about these--will be $0.75/box but as low as $0.49/box
--I found an endcap with Pillsbury Stars and Stripes flavor on sale for $0.99 but after the $0.50 off for the BD sale, will be $0.49!!!
:Velveeta Cheesy Skillets will be $1.50/box
:Capri Sun boxes will be $1.50/box
:French's Yellow Mustard or Spicy Brown Mustard will be $1/bottle
--there were some coupons floating around for $0.50/a bottle of the Spicy Brown, but I can't figure out which insert they were in so, you may get these as low as $0.50/bottle :)
Also, these are NOT on the Big Deal but pretty cool:
:buy 2 packs of Snydor's pretzels or 2 packs of Lance crackers, get a FREE 2Liter of Food Lion soda. There are some various q's for Snydor's and Lance so this could be a good deal but without q's the price is $5 for all 3 items :)
I currently have two $1.50/a box of Lance ExtraFulls which are not $2.50 but $2.99, and I am unsure if they will 'count' for the 2L soda deal but I will ask when I go shopping if they can count since I will then only pay $2.98 for all 3 items :) However, I also have a $1 coupon off any purchase of cookies/crackers over $3.50 store coupon I can combine so I'll pay just $1.98 for all 3 items, yay!
:Ben and Jerry's Pints are on sale $2.50 each, use a coupon for $2.50 off 3 ( http://www.couponnetwork.com/printable-coupons ) and pay $5 for 3 ($1.67 each) and hey, that's pretty good!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
$0.14 Candles and REAL food--for less than $5
I got a tip off to the clearance Febreze at Kroger on Krazy Coupon Lady so when I went to pick up a couple staples I jumped on the deals :)
For everything pictured, I spent $4.92 (tax included) and saved ~90%
8 Febreze candles (the smaller ones)--reg. price of $3.99, on clearance for $1.64
2 Virginia's Best Corn Meal--reg. price of $1.99 each, on clearance for $0.80/bag
1 half-gallon of milk--marked down to $1.69, reg. price of $2.19
1 bag of Orville Red. Pop-crunch--sale of $2 per bag, reg. price $2.99
1 BIG box of Chewy bars (14 count)--reg. price of $4.89 (yuck!)
1 bag of Kroger carrots--reg. price of $1.69
1 bag of white grapes (1.64 lbs)--reg. price of $2.38/lb (, on sale for $0.99/lb :)
1 head of Romaine lettuce--reg/sale price of $0.99 each
Pre-card total (exc. tax)--$52.55
Coupons used:
4 coupons for $3/any two Febreze items (from the 7/7 P&G)--these made my candles 14 cents each :) :)
1 Digital Download coupon for FREE Pop-crunch (added to Kroger card 6/30--these Friday downloads are AWESOME! Be sure to check each week for the free/featured item)
1 Digital Download coupon for FREE Quaker Chewy bars--I got the BIG box (14 or 18 count) because this coupon did not have a count listed and was good on all of them :) moral of this is: don't always assume the coupon only works on the smallest one--if you're unsure, it's at least worth trying right!
1 Kroger coupon for FREE mini-peeled carrots (mailed in the last mailer I got)
*I also had one of my $3 catalinas left from the Bayer deal on 6/23 so I cashed that in (I know those all expired on 7/7 but this was a rain check for $3 off my order because one of mine failed to print so hey, worked out better for me since it was good longer)
Final price paid: $4.92 including tax :)
As a cool side note, those digital download coupons somehow cover all of the taxes, so they really are 100% FREE so it's possible to walk in with some of those loaded to your card and go through the register but walk out bag in hand without forking over even a penny haha, love that!
I am willing to bet that most all Krogers will have certain Febreze, Glade, Airwick, and such on clearance so if you need some cheap household items and have the coupons to pair--stock up!
CVS and Target Deals Week of 7/14
Hello everyone! I have been on vacation and 'off' for a couple weeks but really excited to get back in to this now! I am posting some possible deals for this week that you can take advantage of--I have not yet done my weekly couponing (I did lots over the past couple weeks but since most of those prices are no longer valid I won't post for now) but I am just sharing what I think are good prices and good deals around town. I will list below CVS and Target (this is smaller!)-- I will add Food Lion on Tues/Weds because they're sale does not start until Wednesday but the BIG DEAL sale they run every 3-4 months is coming and I am excited to know what will show up on that (I do not yet know...) but for now, CVS (the most comprehensive) and Target. The prices I post will be "AS LOW AS" prices that you will get using coupons that I list. However, without those coupons, your price would be higher but many of these would still be very good!
CVS:
The machine is printing a $3/$15 purchase coupon for everyone!! So be sure and print first before shopping :)
CHARMIN/BOUNTY--16 packs and 12 count packs respectively--BUY ANY 2 at $20 total, get $5 EB
-----use two $0.25/1 from P&G 7/7, pay $20.56 with tax, get $5 EB (makes these $7.78 each)
-----if you pair with the $3/$15 purchase from the CVS machine, you would pay $17.56 and they would be $6.28 each (remember, I do calculate your FINAL cost using the EB you would receive)
REVLON NAIL POLISH--On sale for $4.99 each, buy 1 receive $3 EB
-----use a $1/1 Revlon nail from the 6/23 SmartSource, pay $4.25 and get $3 EB back (makes it $1.25!)
-----if you use the $3.$15 here, you could buy 3 nail polishes for $9.76 (after $3 in man. q's and $3 CVS q)
and you will receive $9 ExtraBucks--makes these $0.25 each :) *There is a limit of 6 on this deal, so--if you need more than one or two cheap nail polishes--you could get 6 and be well on your way to that $50 you need for the $5 Beauty Bucks--remember, you only need to meet that $50 BEFORE coupons :)
AIRWICK PRODUCTS--spend $20 on ANY, get $10 ExtraBucks
---there are a couple coupons that expire TODAY for this, but I am sure there are internet printables (I didn't look, sorry!) but even so, this would be a good price for buying some if you need/want them.
COKE 12 packs--buy 3 at 3/$10, get $1 ExtraBuck (makes them $3 each so not great but I'll include it!)
CVS:
The machine is printing a $3/$15 purchase coupon for everyone!! So be sure and print first before shopping :)
ExtraBucks Deals:
-----use two $0.25/1 from P&G 7/7, pay $20.56 with tax, get $5 EB (makes these $7.78 each)
-----if you pair with the $3/$15 purchase from the CVS machine, you would pay $17.56 and they would be $6.28 each (remember, I do calculate your FINAL cost using the EB you would receive)
REVLON NAIL POLISH--On sale for $4.99 each, buy 1 receive $3 EB
-----use a $1/1 Revlon nail from the 6/23 SmartSource, pay $4.25 and get $3 EB back (makes it $1.25!)
-----if you use the $3.$15 here, you could buy 3 nail polishes for $9.76 (after $3 in man. q's and $3 CVS q)
and you will receive $9 ExtraBucks--makes these $0.25 each :) *There is a limit of 6 on this deal, so--if you need more than one or two cheap nail polishes--you could get 6 and be well on your way to that $50 you need for the $5 Beauty Bucks--remember, you only need to meet that $50 BEFORE coupons :)
AIRWICK PRODUCTS--spend $20 on ANY, get $10 ExtraBucks
---there are a couple coupons that expire TODAY for this, but I am sure there are internet printables (I didn't look, sorry!) but even so, this would be a good price for buying some if you need/want them.
COKE 12 packs--buy 3 at 3/$10, get $1 ExtraBuck (makes them $3 each so not great but I'll include it!)
Non-ExtraBucks Deals:
MandMs single serve and sharing size--on sale all buy 2, get 1 FREE
-----these are $1 each already when you buy 2+ but pair with a nice Buy One candies, get FREE choc. bar coupons for TODAY's Red Plum and essentially, you will buy 1, but get 2 free [1 free from store, and 1 free from manufacturer :) ] final cost: $0.33 each or $1 for 3 (this FREE coupon does not specify a max value, so I assume it will go through as $1--or whatever the price rings up as)
Cesar Dog food single servings--$0.69
-----use the other nice BOGO FREE (up to $1.19) and you will pay $0.59 for 2 of them! ($0.30 each)
-----CVS does the "max value" bonus for these "up to" coupons (or at least, in my experience they do! so the coupon should have no problem taking of the full amount of $1.19 since they do get reimbursed by the company for the full value)
Herbal Essences--2 shampoos, conditioners or stylers for $6
----yes, it was 2/$5 last week and FREE after coupons but if you still have some of those awesome $5/2 Clairol products coupons from the 7/7 P&G then this is still a good deal to be $0.50 per bottle.
----[side note] I saw some of these products on clearance at 2 different Kroger's yesterday and today for between $2 and $2.20 each so those coupons would work there, too!
Mitchum Deodorant--on sale 2 for $5--pair with a $1/1 q from the SmartSource today to make these $1.50 each (they would be FREE at Walgreen's but if you don't want to go there...$1.50 is not bad, especially for beginners and with that $3 off your purchase coupon....)
The weekly coupon machine cheapie item is Theater Boxed candy--on sale for $1/box
----the machine is printing a $0.25/1 coupon so makes a box only $0.75, but there is only one coupon/card--sure beats theater prices, right! And these are anywhere from $0.88-$0.97 at Walmart...
A couple deal scenarios (these are just a few I put together, of course they are interchangeable!)
Scenario 1 (ExtraBucks deal):
Transaction #1:
Buy 3 Revlon nail using 3 manufacturer coupons and the $3/$15 CVS q
Pay: $9.76
Receive: $9 EBs
Transaction #2:
Buy 2 Charmin or Bounty items using 2 manufacturer coupons for $0.25 AND the $9 EBs from trans. #1
Pay: $11.56
Receive: $5 EBs
Total: $21.32 for over $50 worth of items AND have $5 ExtraBucks left
Scenario 2 (ExtraBucks deal):
Transaction #1:
Buy $20 worth of Airwick (prices on these things vary from store to store AND it depends on which items you buy--I always aim for $20 or right at lol)
Pay: $21.06 (including tax but EST. the $20 total)
Receive: $10 ExtraBucks
Transaction #2:
Use the $10 ExtraBucks from #1 and buy 3 Revlon nail polishes AND 3 MandMs candies (one MUST be the choc. bar) AND use the $3/$15 coupon here
Pay: $0.81 (all tax only)
Receive: $9 ExtraBucks
Total: ~$22 for $41.50 worth AND have $9 ExtraBucks left
Scenario 3 (non-EB deal):
Buy 2 Herbal Essences, 2 Mitchum deodorants, 3 MandMs (1 bar!), 2 Cesar dog food, and 1 Theater boxed candy
Use: $5/2 Clairol products coupon, 2 $1/1 Mitchum coupons, 1 BOGO MMs coupon, 1 BOGO Cesar Coupon, and the CVS candy coupon AND the $3/$15 CVS coupon
Pay: $3.67 for ~$22 worth of stuff
Of course, if you wanted to use any remaining ExtraBucks if you did either Deal #1 or #2 to pay for the non-EB items you could---the only thing is that the nice $3/$15 CVS coupon is ONE PER CARD so can only be used once. As you all may know, I have so much shampoo, deodorant, household smell-goods, that I won't be taking advantage of those today but I wanted to share them because they are good deals---though I may do the toilet paper, can't ever have too much of that haha! And if I do anything else, I will get 3 nail polishes as outlined in scenario #1 transaction #1 and a couple Cesar's and the MandMs and I will use $10 ExtraBucks and roll them into $9 and also, will hit my next Beauty Bucks!
Now, on to Target and Kroger (these are much shorter btw)
Target:
Last night, I had $20 in Target gift cards from previous couponing trips that we finally cashed in and we bought an umbrella for our patio set--it was originally $70, but was clearanced down to $21 so that's 70% off and I used the gift cards so I only paid $2.11 after the gift cards. I thought this was a good use of some rewards I had earned. Maybe I'll add a pic later.
There's honestly not a lot to rush out and about for this week, but there are a couple good gift card promotions on every day items.
Tampax/Always 32 count Radiant (and select others are included):
Buy 3, get a FREE Venus Embrace razor
The 32 count Radiants are on sale (though this could be the reg. price?) for $7 per box (ugh) but with coupons, much better:
Use 3 $2/1 Always Radiant or Tampax Radiant from the 7/7 P&G to make them $5 each AND use that awesome $5/any 1 Venus razor---you may not still have those but they're good til 7/31 so if you do (I have two left I'm still trying to use haha)
You will pay a total of $11.11 ($10 plus tax) for all 4 items, or $2.77 each and that is a pretty good price for an even purchase (no rewards to worry about or points, etc)
GE REVEAL (4 pack) are $9, but buy 2 and get a $5 gift card
You would pay $13.95 for two, after gift card
*I know this seems like a 'lot' for a 'deal' but this is something we tend to forget about needing until we do and then we rush out and buy the cheapest (i.e. shortest lasting and worst!) light bulbs haha. Again, this is just something I thought of sharing :)
SANDISK FLASH DRIVE 8G: BOGO for $1
They are $10, and buy 1 at $10, get #2 for $1 so $11.58 for two ($5.79 each)
*That is a pretty good price for a computer item--I know they can get cheaper at the office stores but who knows when and going through the office store hoops is sometimes not worth it, in my opinion.
Don't forget about Target's mobile coupons: currently, there are a few floating around for summery stuff but a good one now is $1 off any fresh fruit purchase $1 or higher. Grapes are on sale for $2/lb so you could get a lb for $1, but that is also roughly the price as Kroger---this coupon expires on 7/31 so there may be advantage to holding onto it for a little while :)
Like I mentioned before, I will add some possible deals for Food Lion Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on how early I can see the ad!) and hopefully there will be some good ones. That is all for now :) Let me know on here on on Facebook if you have any questions or anything! :)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Happy Anniversary to us! Kroger paid us $34.88 for shopping!
There was an awesome set of coupons in yesterday's paper for Bayer Aspirin--save $4 off 2 items (20 count or higher--expires 6/30/13) or $2 off 1 item (20 count or higher--expires in August). These are on a catalina promotion at Kroger, buy 2 get $3 off your next order. I already did this deal twice last week (see last post) but that was not nearly as good as yesterday's trip! If you're wondering why I did buy 30 bottles: a) they are good until 2016 so we can use them by then and b) I'll donate some and they were HUGE moneymakers :) Here is what we got at Kroger:
New total (after card and coupons): $0.77 including tax (woohoo!)
We also received a $1 catalina for buying three Hamburger Helper items, so this little trip was a $0.23 moneymaker for us :)
The next trips (6/23/13--also our 1st anniverasry being married :) ) were planned--
We bought 10 Sunday papers yesterday at the Dollar Store so we had 10 of the $4 off 2 Bayer/Alka-Seltzer items and 10 of the $2 off 1 Bayer coupons, 20 coupons total that allowed us to do 15 catalina deals total.
We bought the following at two different stores (so not to clean out 1 store completely!):
30 Bayer Aspirins (a mix of orange, cherry, and regular non-chewable) all of which were $2.34 regularly priced.
1 2-liter of Dr. Pepper 10--on sale for $0.88, reg. price is $1.50
Pre-coupon total: $ 71.72 (I know right!) --in Virginia, medicine is non-taxable but the Dr. Pepper had a tax of 2 cents (this is the sale priced tax, that's what I'll use here)
After coupons (Bayer: 10 x $4/2 [$40] and 10 x $2/1[$20] and one e-coupon loaded to our Kroger card for $0.75 off a Dr. Pepper 10 2-liter): we paid a total of $10.35 and got 15 $3 catalinas back, for a total of $45 in catalinas to Kroger!
So, we did have to pay a total of $11.12 out of pocket up front over the weekend, but we have a total of $46 for Kroger now (a profit of $34.88!!!)--we are planning what to buy with the money, but I will break it down once we go shopping!
We went late Saturday night just to make sure the catalinas were still running for the Bayer (they are printing until 7/3/13, by the way!) because I saw a coupon preview (you can Google Sunday coupon previews usually by Thursday or Friday before they come out) and I saw the Bayer coupons listed. They were regional, so not everyone in the country got them (we got really lucky for once!) but when I got my Sunday paper yesterday morning, I saw the coupons :) But, as of late Saturday night, all I wanted to do was see if the catalinas were going to align with the coupons IF we got them, so we ran in to Kroger.
Saturday Night: 6/22/13
3 Hamburger Helpers--on Manager's special for $0.50/box, reg. price $1.67 each
1 Betty Crocker Mac-n-Cheese--reg. price $1.00/box
4 Secret Outlast deodorants--on the buy 4, save $4 (which ended at midnight Saturday...) for $2.49--reg. price is $3.94 each (only 3 pictured b/c I gave one away when we were leaving the store lol)
1 pack of Kroger bagels--reg. price of $1.89
Pre-card/coupon total: $24.65 with tax
Coupons used:
$0.75 off 3 Hamburger Helpers (made these $0.25 each)
FREE Betty Crocker Mac-n-Cheese (e-coupon loaded to my Kroger card--made this FREE)
4 coupons for $3 off any Secret Outlast (this gave me overage of 51 cents each, so $2.04 in overage total!)
Kroger coupon for $0.40 off one pack of Kroger bagels (from those wonderful mailers they send out!)
We also received a $1 catalina for buying three Hamburger Helper items, so this little trip was a $0.23 moneymaker for us :)
The next trips (6/23/13--also our 1st anniverasry being married :) ) were planned--
We bought 10 Sunday papers yesterday at the Dollar Store so we had 10 of the $4 off 2 Bayer/Alka-Seltzer items and 10 of the $2 off 1 Bayer coupons, 20 coupons total that allowed us to do 15 catalina deals total.
We bought the following at two different stores (so not to clean out 1 store completely!):
30 Bayer Aspirins (a mix of orange, cherry, and regular non-chewable) all of which were $2.34 regularly priced.
1 2-liter of Dr. Pepper 10--on sale for $0.88, reg. price is $1.50
Pre-coupon total: $ 71.72 (I know right!) --in Virginia, medicine is non-taxable but the Dr. Pepper had a tax of 2 cents (this is the sale priced tax, that's what I'll use here)
After coupons (Bayer: 10 x $4/2 [$40] and 10 x $2/1[$20] and one e-coupon loaded to our Kroger card for $0.75 off a Dr. Pepper 10 2-liter): we paid a total of $10.35 and got 15 $3 catalinas back, for a total of $45 in catalinas to Kroger!
So, we did have to pay a total of $11.12 out of pocket up front over the weekend, but we have a total of $46 for Kroger now (a profit of $34.88!!!)--we are planning what to buy with the money, but I will break it down once we go shopping!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Some Favorite Clearance Finds and a Couple Good Shopping Experiences
I have 3 shopping trips to breakdown in this brag (sorry it is so long--I honestly meant to write Sunday night after my first trip, but then didn't---but these weren't too big so it should not be too bad!) The first was Sunday evening--CVS and Kroger and Walmart--then Wednesday I went to Kroger and Food Lion. Andrew and I ran into Kroger last night because were halfway through making guacamole and I realized I forgot the cilantro (!) when I actually did my shopping earlier in the week, so that was trip #3. Funny thing is: I could have used the cilantro to meet my minimum for my Food Lion trip haha. Oh well! I have been writing this particular blog since Monday..so I really am sorry it took so long to post!
This is a photo from Sunday's adventures: $9.32 total for all this
Sunday's Trip: CVS
CVS is running a few realy good promotions this week--not that many high EB deals, just good sales. For example: Purex Laundry detergent is BUY 1, GET 2 FREE (my store had them @$6.29 each--so $2.09 per bottle, without tax) and Coke 12 packs are 3 packs for $11 BUT you get $3 EBs back, so that makes them only $2.67 per pack (you could simply match this price at Walmart if you like!). For the following, I did use a lot of Extra Bucks, BUT I am getting ready to hit Southern California for a week of vacation and I was okay with my stockpile of CVS money to dwindle a bit since I'll just restart it at some point. I'll talk more about this later :)
I bought:
3 Coke 12 packs @ sale price of $3.67 each, reg. price @ $5.79 each
4 Maybelline Nail polishes on clearance @ $2.09 each, reg. price @ $4.19 each
3 Purex detergents (1 Natural, 2 Oxi-Clean--27-33 loads, respectively) on sale @ $6.39 for all 3
1 Colgate 4-pack of travel toothpaste @ reg. price of $3.39
2 Listerine Original 1 Liters@ reg. price of $5.79
1 Listerine Whitening Restoring 32 ounce @ reg. price of $9.29 (! what?!)
5 of the check-out caramels @ $0.33 each reg. price (I'll explain...)
My total before sales/coupons was: $82.25 with tax
My CVS card brought me down to: $54.70
I used the following coupons:
1 CVS coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase
4 CVS coupons for $2 off any Maybelline cosmetics item
2 Listerine manufacturer coupons for $1 off any Listerine item
1 Listerine printable coupon for $2 off any Whitening Listerine item
I then used $10 in Beauty bucks (these are the Extra Bucks from buying beauty products and they expire 2 weeks from pint time, so they needed to be used) and I used $21 other Extra Bucks and kept getting the beep on the register that alerted the cashier I needed to spend more in order to use all those Extra Bucks, so she added caramels until it no longer told her I needed them. I know this sounds silly to use some of my EBs on something like the caramels, but it allowed me to NOT have to pay oop for my tax. The Extra Bucks are not supposed to go towards tax, but sometimes, they do and though I had to use an extra dollar or two of them, I did not have to spend it in cash from my pocket :) I left paying a nickel, YES, 5 cents :)
*My savings is 100% with the EBs, but for record's sake I was just happy to restock our Coke and my DR told me to try the Listerine on a rash, so that's why I bought it. I used Extra Bucks to buy something I needed and I'm cool with that. I got back $3 for the Coke, $10 for the Listerine (spend $10, get $5 and you can do this twice, and $3 for the Colgate multi-pack, and another $5 in Bauty bucks, so I only "lost" $10 in CVS money. That's okay! I was saying that I'll need to regrow my EB totals once I am back from vacation because not every week allows me to "roll" them perfectly and swap them out for the same amount + tax. Some weeks I make money, and some weeks I 'lose' money, but I also wanted the stuff I got. 3 bottles of detergent for $6.39, yeah, that's stock up price!
________________________________________________________________________________
I then headed to Kroger just to look around, and a few things caught my attention :)
Kroger is in week 2 of their Buy 4, Save $4 Mega Sale and I took advantage of a couple really good deals. The paper this past Sunday had coupons for $2.15 off any Finish dishwashing tabs or gel packs 20 count or higher and wouldn't you know, they are on the Mega Sale. There's also a good deal on Morningstar Farms vegetarian items, if you buy those--I did not because my freezer is way too loaded now, but with coupons (using 2, $1/2 item printables) AND a catalina promotion, each box of veggie burgers or the like would only be $1.74 each! Anyway, here is what I bought Sunday:
2 Chapstick lip balms @ $1.00 each (regular price was $1.50)
4 Bayer Aspirin fruit chewables @ $2.34 regular price
4 Finish Dish Tabs 20 count box @ $2.99 sale price wyb 4 items (reg. price of $3.99 each)
My pre-card total was: $29.27 with tax and my Kroger card brought me to: $24.02 (without tax)
I used the following coupons:
2 coupons for $1.50 off any Chapstick item (I made $0.50 for each one!)
4 coupons for $1.00 off any Bayer aspirin product
4 coupons for $2.15 off any Finish tab or gel pack 20 count or higher (this made these $0.84 per box! That's definitely stock up price because the bigger box of 42 was OVER $8, wow--so, I currently have LOTS of dishwasher items at these prices and lower, I'm happy about not paying full price for them!
I paid $8.42 which is good, but better yet---I got two $3 catalinas for the Bayer. So, the Bayer was only $5.36 after my coupons and they gave me $6 to buy it. Nice mm on medicine :)
My net at Kroger was $2.42 oop! But yes, I did have to front the $8.42...
_________________________________________________________________________________
I then went to Walmart to grab a few things with the overage I knew I would have :)
At Walmart Sunday I bought:
4 Oral-B replacement brush heads @ $5.67 each
2 packs of Kikkoman fried rice mix @$0.78 each
2 avocados @ $0.97 each
1 Minute Maid 12 pack @ $2.67 (this was price matched to CVS, but reg. price was $3.98)
1 head of Romaine Leaf lettuce (also matched, to Kroger @ $0.99 but Walmart price was $1.67)
I used the following coupons:
4 Oral B replacement brush heads or rechargeable toothbrush coupons from P&G for $7 off (this gave me $1.33 in overage for each one, a total of $5.32 in overage!)
1 coupon for $1.25 off two avocados wyb 2 Kikkoman products
1 printable coupon for $1 off one Minute Maid 12 pack
After price matching and coupons, I paid a total of $0.90! My original total was $31.15 (with tax) so I saved 97% and got the lettuce I needed and some avocados I wanted AND a pack of lemonade. I LOVE how using coupons at Walmart to buy the stuff I need/want is possible and how easy this transaction was to price match :) I had both the Kroger and the CVS ads with me, just in case, but the cashier did not ask to see them (per Walmart's policy you DON'T need them!) and she was so easy to work with! She actually commented on how much of a deal I got and she said "that's the value of couponing right there--you got all that for under a dollar" so I was glad she was friendly and didn't have a problem with my overages or anything :) I have to say that P&G puts out some real winners for coupons and they give some of the best overage possibilities--you'll see below why! :)
Sunday: I spent a total of $9.32 for $142.67 worth of items, a savings of 93.5% (I'll take it)
Here is the stuff I got Wednesday at Food Lion and Kroger: $10.81 total for everything
Here is what I bought today (June 19) at Kroger and I was thrilled to only spend $1.52 oop!!!
6 Clean and Clear Advantage Acne face wash--reg. price was $7.99 per bottle, CLEARANCE for $1.87!
That's a great price without coupons (but see below, you know I had some lol)
4 Venus Embrace Razors--reg. price $6.99 each, on the Buy 4, Save $4 for $4.49 each
2 Finish Gel Dishwasher tabs, 20 count--reg. price $3.99 each, on Buy 4, Save $4 for $2.99
2 Kraft Mac n Cheese boxes--reg. price of $1.29 each, on Buy 4, Save $4 for $0.59 each
1 Advil Congestion 10 count--reg. price was $5.49, CLEARANCE for $2.38
*side note, I ALWAYS check shelves for clearance before I check the "manager's special" section
because in my experience, if the item is still on the shelf and being discontinued--it is less likely to sell
as fast as the "markdown" section because it is still mixed in with all the other reg. priced stuff*
Total before card/coupons/clearance: (with tax) $96.20 (wow--with $47.94 in face wash alone...)
Card savings and coupons used: (card took off $49.23!)
3 Clean and Clear manufacturer coupons for $3 off 2 Advantage products (made these $0.37 each!)
4 Venus manufacturer coupons (from this past Sunday's RedPlum) for $5 OFF ANY Venus Razor*
*EXCEPTdisposables/trial size--this gave me overage of 51 each!
2 Finish manufacturer coupons (from this Sunday's SmartSource) for $2.15 off any tabs/packs--*
*20 count or higher, so worked perfectly like last time!
*this made these $0.84 per box--same as above trip!
1 Advil coupon for $2 off any Advil congestion (this was a peelie from a former bottle of Advil)--made this $0.38! For medicine, that's pretty awesome I think :)
My coupons brought my total down to $4.52 and I used a $3 catalina from earlier in the week (see above!) so I was left with paying $1.52. I saved a whopping 98%--this wasn't completely free as in I paid nothing, but I was pretty excited that it sure was close!
**I think my best bit of advice I can offer (as in, this is what I have learned!) is this: hold on to those coupons! Don't throw them away because you think you may not use them because you never know! I was so close to getting rid of the Clean and Clear coupons the other day because I thought "it won't go on a promotion at CVS in time, and I will surely not be buying 2 if it does.."---BOY, am I glad I held on to them!!!!! I can't stress enough how many times I have been shopping and saw an item on a closeout somewhere that matched a coupon I just let sit in my binder for a while, haha. I just happened to get lucky that they still had an even number of the face wash that matched my coupons perfectly!
Now, on to Food Lion:_______________________________________________________________
**The back story--I got the paper off of my lawn this morning to check the Food Lion ad and knew we needed a few veggies or some fruit for the next few days so that was really the only things I had on my 'list'--I had store coupons that expired today that I wanted to try to use. I searched around on Google a bit to find that some of the items on sale at Food Lion this week are on a catalina promotion, too. I was super excited to find BirdsEye frozen veggies on sale for $1.25/bag and they're on a catalina that I THOUGHT would make them free (well, paying tax...)--I prepared for this scenario, but it did not go as planned. So, my writing about this now is somewhat of a unique situation (I'll explain!)---This is still a great deal! But, NOT FREE as intended. Like I have mentioned before, I prefer to shop Food Lion for produce because I think it's more fresh and better quality--plus, the store coupons are really good. I don't usually do my big trips here, but I will say that Food Lion has some of the best employees I have ever encountered. I will be writing corporate later to praise my store and it's team on their efforts to help me out and get the best deal possible. I know people write companies letting them know of their complaints, but I don't think it will hurt to write a compliment :)
**Here is what I thought would happen with the Birdseye frozen veggies:
On sale for $1.25 each (or, 4 for $5)--buy 4, use 2 coupons for $1 off 2 (click here and click on RED "special offers" in upper right corner ) [remember, only 2 prints per computer!]---pay $3.13 (with tax) and receive a $3 on your next order catalina. I was planning to do this twice (2 transactions--#1 with everything I was buying and #2 roll catalina #1 to pay $0.13 for the next four, and get another catalina for $3. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.
My actual shopping trip to Food Lion went like this:
Transaction #1:
I had a Food Lion coupon for $1.50 off any produce purchase $7.50 or more. I bought:
1 bag of grapes (1.75 lbs)--on sale this week for $1.29/lb!! usually $2.99 or so per lb...
2 Avocados @ $0.99 each (reg. $1.29 each)--did I mention how much I prefer Food Lion avocados
over any other store's??? Ideally, I'd get them on sale at 2
for $1, but I'll buy them at $0.99, especially from here! haha
2 squash (.85 lbs)--on sale for $1.29/lb this week (reg. $1.99 I believe)
2 zucchini (.75 lbs)--also on sale for $1.29 and also reg. $1.99/lb
1 Del Monte mango fruit cup--on sale for $1.00, reg. price is $1.50
2 Kikkoman Kung Pao Chicken spice packs--reg. price of $0.99 each
1 Coke 2 Liter--sale price was $1.67 (3 for $5)
4 Birdseye Steamfresh veggies (only certain ones are $1.25/bag..usually $1.69 each)
I used the following coupons:
$1.50 off produce dept. purchase over $7.50
$1.25 off 2 avocados when you buy 2 Kikkoman products (manufacturer, made these $0.67 each)
$0.50 off 1 Del Monte Fruit mango cup (made this $0.50...not great but got me over $7.50 in prod.)
1 $1 off 2 Birdseye (see link above!)--made these $0.75/bag
1 Food Lion coupon for a Free 2 Liter of Coke when you spend $10 in the store
My total for transaction #1 was originally $23.22 (pre-card, not incl. tax) and my card and coupons brought me down to $9.04. This is what I paid for transaction #1. I was watching the catalina machine and printed 3 coupons for me: 1 Tresemme coupon, 1 Food Lion produce coupon (again!) and 1 ONYO [on your next order] coupon from Birdseye---for $1.50. Whomp, whomp. I was expecting $3. I will now share my conversations/experience (since that is part of the point of this blog, I share my shopping trips and although many go well as planned, some do not...):
I kindly said to the cashier that I was expecting to receive a $3 catalina instead for buying more than 3 qualifying items. She said okay and called over the supervisor/head cashier. Both ladies were extremely nice and just explained that they could not make it print, but called over a manager. The manager asked me if it was displayed in store, and I said "no, I saw it on here--the catalina website and all it said was buy 3 or more and receive up to $3". I offered to pull the site up on my phone and show the manager and she happily agreed. My phone seemed to take FOREVER to load in the store and we just kind of chatted while it loaded. All three ladies were super nice and wanting to help, but they needed verification and that's okay with me since I want it to all be legit. Finally, the website loaded and the manager said the girls could take it from there--she left and then my original cashier left and the head-cashier/supervisor stayed to help me out. She closed down her lane so she could try to help me figure everything out. This indeed did frustrate the people in line behind me, but hey, I go through the effort to save those extra $'s so I can't always be expected to just "suck it up". Anyway, the website is very unclear for this offer. Usually, it is very specific that buying 2 will give x amount and buying 3 will give y, etc. etc. The cashier and I looked at the site for a good minute and she said "let's just try ringing all 8 up at once and see what happens"--SURE ENOUGH, IT PRINTED THE $3. Okay, I was ready to call it a lost try and just get the refund for the 4 I bought to begin with and then give them back the $1.50 catalina...but the supervisor was like "I'll refund your first set, then just ring them all up together and use those catalinas that already printed to 'pay' for the veggies and we should be all good"
Longer story short---she rang all 8 up together, it totaled $10.25 with tax and sale price, and she used my 'refunded' $3.13 from transaction #1, my 4 $1 off 2 coupons and two $1.50 catalinas and the $3 catalina that had printed in all of our efforts and I paid $0.25 for transaction #2.
I said "refunded" because I never got the cash back or had it put back on my card but in all fairness, I did leave the store with 8 bags of veggies and the $3 catalina and I only paid $3.38 for all of them in total (or, a net of 38 cents for 8 bags)!
It all worked out okay for me and I am very happy, but like I said--it took a lot of effort and the cashier's willingness to work with me to get a good deal :)
I spent a total of $9.29 at Food Lion for $29.98 (excluding tax) worth of FRESH and frozen good foods :) And, I do have that $3 for next time haha (but I am not counting this yet)
**I said I would share how this deal could still be a pretty good one even though the $3 catalinas are not printing for only purchasing 4 items...since I learned today that it seems you need 5 or more to get the $3. Anyway, if you buy 4 at $1.25 each and use two, $1 off 2 coupons and pay the $3.13 after tax, you'll receive $1.50, which makes each bag cost $0.40 each and that's really good for vegetables!
In total, Wed (6/19) I spent $10.81 on $126.18 in grocery items (so, I saved 91.5% --awesome! and I got the veggies/fruits we wanted)
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Many of you saw the Facebook post for my Kroger trip last night 6/20 :)
These little gems were in the Manager's Special section for $1.00 each and wouldn't you know I had 5 coupons for $1.00 off any Breyer's ice cream topping :) I checked to make sure the coupon didn't have a limit or per person or transaction restriction and it didn't, yay! So, we paid 13 cents for all 5 and they would have originally cost $2.79 each, except the Strawberry which was $3.49 (a total of $15.02 with tax). Awesome clearance find :) This is definitely one of my fave catches haha.
I promise--I WILL post my recipes from my Kroger Summer Experience soon. I have posted them to the website I just need to be able to link them here. I am working on it. Also, I will send out a post hopefully Sunday (but maybe tomorrow) for the upcoming sales/deals for Next Week. I am going to try to do that more since it would make more sense, but I'd also like to know WHAT to post (as in, what you all would be interested in knowing about sales-wise and grocery wise) Thanks!!
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