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:

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!)

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!

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!
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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...
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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!!

Bought 2 Cases of Water and Got Everything Else for FREE!

I really didn't know what to title this because my brags this week cover many categories (cosmetics, dog stuff, health stuff, and laundry). Basically, so far this week (Monday and Tuesday)--I have spent a total of $9.95 (if I bought the two cases of water for full price- I have spent about the same amount for all of my items below). I have been to Target and CVS, and here is what I bought:

Target:

I went in once by myself, and then again with Andrew once he got home. This deal for the Tide Boost can be duplicated IF you have the Target store coupons AND the P&G manufacturer Tide coupons. If you only have the P&G coupons, this is still a great deal @ $0.99 per pack! I found this idea on Kraxy Coupon Lady, but it seems that many Targets were out of this specific size (Roanoke still had some)--but you could always get a rain check as long as you can use the coupons by then! Anyway, my goal for this week was to buy bottled water because we were nearly out and I am pleased to have found it on a good deal at both CVS and Target, but for the price of the bottled water--I got all the other stuff, too!

Transaction #1:

3 Tide Boost Packs (18 count)--reg price @ $6.99, price cut @ $2.99 per pack (until June 29)

2 Crystal Light Liquid Drops--reg. price @ $3.49 each (on a promotion, see below)

1 Deer Park case of 24 bottle--reg. price @ $3.79 each (on the Target promotion--FREE with purchase of  2 Crystal Light or MIO liquid drops)

Coupons used:

3 $2/1 Tide Boost packs (15-37 count)-from P&G Brandsaver 6/2--made each pack $0.99

2 $1/1 Crystal Light liquid--made these $2.49 each (excited to try them--didn't plan on getting them but needed the water!)

FREE water (took of the $3.79) with purchase of the 2 Crystal Light drops

2 $1/1 Target coupons for ANY Tide Boost (liquid or packs)--these were peelies on the product!

1 $1/1 Target mobile coupon on ANY Tide product (text PICNIC to 827438)--these expire 6/14 and can only be used ONCE (with the Target coupons AND manufacturer coupons--all of my Tide was FREE!)

1 Target coupon for using my own bag (any time you bring in a reusable bag--they take another 5 cents off)

Total Paid: $5.37                                  Total Saved: $27.67 (84% off)

Target Transaction #2:

3 Tide Boost packs (18 count)--reg. price @ $6.99, price cut @ $2.99 per pack (until June 29)

Coupons used:

3 $2/1 Tide Boost Packs (15-37 count)- from P&G Brandsaver 6/2--made these $0.99 per pack

1 $1/1 Target mobile coupon (on Andrew's phone!--text PICNIC to 827438)

1 $1/2 Tide or Downy Items Target Coupon

This time, I did not have enough of the $1 off 1 Tide Target coupons to make them all completely free, but I had a coupon to make one free, and two cost $0.50 a pack..not bad at all, though!

Total Paid: $1.32                                 Total Saved: $20.69 (94% off)

Total at Target on Monday: $6.69 for $55.05 worth of laundry items and water/water stuff.

It is worth noting that Target adjusts the tax down based on Target coupons--however much $ in Target coupon you tender, that much off of the taxable total is brought down as well. This is awesome in my book--as most places tax on FULL amount pre-coupon no matter if they're store coupons or manufacturer coupons. So, this is like BONUS savings (although it's not much...it is something)!

CVS:

I had some really good CVS coupons this week and wanted to do a BIG trip. My sister asked for razors, and although they aren't on any ExtraBucks deal, they were a money maker so I was happy to get them :) Many of these ideas could be duplicated--but I did have one email coupon that was not available to the masses (they email various coupons to various people--I got a 25% entire purchase, while others got a $6 off of $30, or something)--I also had two $10 off of $50 purchase coupons. Let me break down how I got from a total of $196.7 (this may be off a few cents--it was between $196-200!) to $3.26 (woohoo!)

Transaction #1 (Monday)

I only went in to print off coupons for my card and Andrew's card, and when I printed--he received a coupon I knew would give overage. I decided to buy a dog toy with the overage, and some candy. When I went to check out, the dog toy rang up another 50% off what I expected, so I decided to buy all 4 they had and forget the candy. Can't you see Heidi saying "can I play with them now, mom?"--She was so patient while I took my photo :) I only gave her one toy for now, so I can add the others to my stock pile. Here is Monday's break down (this was Andrew's card):

1 Revlon Nail polish--on clearance @ $1.49--reg. price @ $5.99

4 small dog toys--on clearance @ $0.49 each (the tag said $0.99...surprise!) reg. price @ $1.99 each

Coupons used:

1 CVS coupon for $3 off any Revlon cosmetic item (gave me an overage of $1.51)

Total Paid: $0.62                                    Total Saved: $14.02 (96% off)

Transaction #1 (Tuesday)

Andrew received another overage giving coupon yesterday, so I used the overage to buy the bottled water which is on a great sale @ $2.88 per pack!

1 pack of Nestle water, 24 count--on sale @ $2.88/pack, reg. price @ $4.69

2 Maybelline Nail polishes--on clearance @ $2.09 each, reg. price @ $4.19 each

1 CVS Vitamin C, 100 count--on clearance @ $1.24, reg. price @ $4.99

Coupons used:

1 CVS coupon for $3 off any vitamin purchase (overage of $1.76)

2 CVS coupons for $2 off any Maybelline items (made those $0.09 each)

Total Paid: $1.64                                    Total Saved: $17.19 (91% off)

Transaction #2 (Tuesday)

These next two transactions were on my card. I did two separate transactions because in the first, the items were full price (or most of them) and I had the email-to-card 25% coupon. This coupon, since it's loaded on the card already, will automatically work on the next eligible transaction and I did not want to risk anything. This was my BIG trip (I say BIG when my original total is over $100..haha) so it has nothing to do with the fact that my items are all small. The 25% off email coupon works on ANY full-priced items, including those that give ExtraBucks, BUT will not work on anything that says "buy more and save" or "buy one, get one % off, etc" or clearance because those are considered 'sales'. The 20% flyer coupon came with this past Sunday's paper. I have 4 more to use throughout the week if we do happen to go again (they are one-time use only and also exclude sale items). I had planned for these two coupons to combine and give me *about* 40% off my full-priced items. These % off coupons are tricky because they "adjust" themselves based on the other CVS coupons you use...so, my $10 off of $50 coupons, and my other $ off coupons from CVS lowered my % off total quite a bit. I still saved A TON and my % off coupons took off enough for me to be happy about using them haha.

Here is what I bought this time:

1 Rimmel Mascara--on clearance @ $2.19, reg. price @ $8.79

1 Revlon Nail polish--on clearance @ $2.07, reg. price @ $8.29 (what?!)

1 Secret Clinical deodorant--reg. price @ $8.99 each (buy 1, get $2 EB)

2 Curel hand/body lotion travel size--reg. price @ $0.99 each (buy 2, get $1 EB)

1 Revlon glitter nail file--reg. price @ $2.27 each (spend $10, get $4 EB)

1 Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara--reg. price @ $7.99 (same deal *)

3 CVS sunscreen 2 oz. each--reg. price @ $2.37 each (spend $10 on CVS items, get $3 EB)

1 CVS Medicated facial scrub--reg. price @ $3.29 each (same deal *)

1 Glide Floss--reg. price @ $4.49 (spend $10, get $5 EB OR spend $20, get $10 EB)

3 Oral B Pro-Health toothbrushes--reg. price @ $5.99 each (same deal *)

2 Biore Medicated scrub @ $8.29 each (buy 2 Biore, John Frieda, or Curel full-size get $5 EB)

1 Gillette Men's ProGlide Razor--reg. price @ $9.99 each (buy 1, get $4 EB)

2 Venus Simply Women's disposables--reg. price @ $9.29 each

1 Trim Cuticle Remover--reg. price @ $3.59 each

1 ZZZQuil sleep aid 48 count--reg. price @ $14.99 (!)

Coupons used:

2 CVS coupons for $10 off a $50 purchase (I met the requirement because I was well over $100...)

1 CVS emailed coupon for 25% off (kept going down with my coupons, eventually took off $19.19)

1 CVS flyer coupon for 20% off (same* took off $7.44)

1 CVS coupon for $4 off any $12 cosmetics

1 CVS coupon for $4 off any $10 CVS brand skin/facial care

1 CVS coupon for $2 off any pain relief or sleep aid purchase $7.99 or more

1 CVS coupon for $3 off ZZZquil 24 ounce or 48 count

1 CVS coupon for $3 off any Revlon cosmetics item

1 CVS coupon for $2 off any 2 Crest or Oral-B items (toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash)

1 Manufacturer coupon for $3 off any Secret Clinical Strength

1 Manufacturer coupon for $1 off any Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

1 Manufacturer coupon for $0.50 off any Glide floss

3 Manufacturer coupons for $1 off any Crest Pro-Health (and others) toothbrush

2 Manufacturer coupons for $2 off any 1 Biore scrub or face wash (peelies!!!)

1 Manufacturer coupon for $3 off any Gillette ProGlide razor

1 Manufacturer coupon for BOGO Free Venus Disposable razor (took off the max of $11.99!)

1 Manufacturer coupon for $2 off any Trim product (peelie!!!)

1 Manufacturer coupon for $1 off any ZZZquil product

$30 in ExtraBucks (took off nearly all of my tax and I made them back so no big deal)

Total Paid: $0.44!!!! (yes!)                     Total Saved: $143.5 (since all but 44 cents in tax came off, 

                                                                  I'd say I had over 100% savings!

*My "savings" may be off a few cents--my receipt says "you saved $136.94, but that's not counting my clearance items). I did "spend" 30 ExtraBucks, but received 29..so I only "lost" $1 in EBs...I can't complain about it, though!

Transaction #3 (Tuesday)

I did this separately just because these were on sale and I could not use either % off coupon on them anyway. I did the same "trading" of the EBs as I did in the previous transaction, where I spent (roughly) the same amount to get the same amount back. I only paid tax.

4 Colgate Optic White 360 Toothbrushes @ $2.99 each (sale price, from $5.49 reg. price) each

Coupons used:

1 CVS coupon for $4 off 3 Colgate Optic White items

4 Manufacturer coupons for $1/1 Colgate 360 toothbrush (any 360 variety)

$4 in ExtraBucks (my subtotal was $3.96, so these took off 4 cents of my tax)

Total Paid: $0.56                                   Total Saved: $22.49 (97.5% off)

I received $4 in new EBs for this, so paying tax was my only OOP (I am giving these to someone else!)

My CVS totals from Mon-Tuesday are: $3.26 oop for $196-200 worth of items. Not like I would pay that much, though haha. I still have $55 EBs for my next trips :)

I feel pretty good about my less than $10 since I needed the bottled water and I got some stuff for a few people who wanted things if the price was right :) and it was!

I have another post coming later today with recipes--I am updating my blog somewhat by creating pages for each of my topics (couponing, recipes, etc) so be sure to look around later!

What About Health Food?

Though I do not strictly buy organic or health food items, I know some of you out there do try to follow a healthy regimen and might like to know how to coupon for and save money on organic items and fresh items. I ran into a high school classmate at the mall this evening and she mentioned my blog (!) and how hard it seemed to be to save on healthy groceries. I agree that it is trickier, but not impossible altogether. I thought a good post for the day would be about ways to save on fresh groceries and "good" foods :) I will outline my methods and then add a few suggestions on ways to save without actually 'couponing'.

1. Join/Subscribe to your favorite brand's email or mailing list:

If you do buy organic, chances are your company will have a website that will offer savings! For example, I subscribe to Earthbound Organics (http://www.ebfarm.com/ ) site and usually receive one email per week with really good coupons. Two weeks ago, I got an email with a $0.75 off any EB carrots and they are only about $0.78 regular price at Walmart. That would make the carrots only 3 cents. For the record, I have not used the coupon yet (I forgot to yesterday, doh!) but will be glad to use it in the future! This week I believe the coupon was $0.75 off 2 EB products but my point is there ARE coupons for organic produce out there; they just have to be found! When I said tricky, I meant that typically, organic brand item coupons (and rarely produce coupons for that matter) are in the standard Sunday paper. It's tricky to coupon for healthy items because it does require a little more effort. However, the benefit of saving money on good-for-you food is that you are then BUYING (and presumably eating) good-for-you food, right :)

Earthbound is the only organic group I subscribe to, but there are plenty to join if you just Google whichever brands you shop for already! Many times, companies will give better coupons out to their 'followers' than in the paper alone, so it never hurts to look.

2. Be willing to buy something to get $ off your produce/good foods:

As for coupons.com, and the paper coupons: health food products do make an appearance, however, the coupon is usually from a manufacturer and good on product x when you buy product y. It's hard for companies to mass produce a manufacturer coupon on produce, since it varies so much by brand per region (and even then by store; Food Lion sells Fresh Express, Kroger does not...) SO, companies will just put out coupons good on ANY produce (or whatever other fresh/healthy item) for buying their product. A recent example is for Kikkoman. The manufacturer released coupons for $1.25 off of 2 avocados when you buy any one Kikkoman product. So you may be thinking--why would I want the Kikkoman product if I only want avocados to begin with? Well, I have a couple suggestions: you'll be buying the avocados anyway, so why not just get the Kikkoman for free (since it's likely less than $1.25) and try it. If you KNOW you won't use it but want to save the extra $, you could donate it or give it to someone else you think will use it :) In the long run, you'll be saving money on the healthy food, and getting the less healthy food for free (although soy sauce isn't inherently 'bad' lol). Other similar coupons appear for fruit, and for dairy products, too.

3. Remember to check the store promotions:

Since healthy eating (especially organic) are big selling points, chances are good that stores will run promotions of their own to sell MORE organic to customers who are going to buy organic already. Just like any other marketing/advertising ploy, stores wants to retain their best customers in that department by offering deals customers will want. For example, Kroger was recently running a promotion (I noticed it on Saturday, June 1, but it may still be going) where buying three Kashi products would get the customer a free dozen cage-free/organic Simple Truth eggs. Simple Truth is Kroger's store brand of organic, so they try to promote that ALL. THE. TIME. (just check the coupons available on Kroger.com). If you do buy health food, you have almost certainly at least heard of Kashi :)

To get the best savings with a promotion like this--pair the store 'deal' with coupons on the Kashi. Even better if you happen to have a coupon on the free eggs, but my point is that healthy food departments often run sales like this to keep the customer in that department and it gets you to buy 3 cereals, right?

4. Don't be afraid to join a store mailing list:

I can't stress how big of a deal this one is! Kroger sends out these wonderful little mailers (in home, not on the computer) to their customers every two months or so and these coupons are a gold mine. I ALWAYS get a coupon for some sort of free produce item (like bagged carrots) and then coupons on their brand of salad and/or veggies. Also, they usually offer coupons on entire departments (like $3 off of $15 in produce or $3 off of $15 in organic/health food) so getting healthy food for less is easier. Food Lion offers coupons printed from the coupon machine at the front of their store on the store brand of items, and many times there will be a $ amount off of X amount in produce for them, too. I always get coupons for the produce section printed with my receipts, and they really add up. If you are going to buy salad, veggies, fruit, etc. anyway, then saving a couple dollars just makes for a better deal, right? Granted, these coupons are store specific, but can mean good savings.

I know a lot of people are either wary of giving out their info to a company or just don't want to take the time to actually fill out the little paper that came with their MVP or Plus card, but joining the mailing list is a great way to save some money. And, they don't spam you!

5. Saving WITHOUT coupons:

But seriously. Why would someone NOT coupon to begin with? Lol. No, I'm talking about things that rarely have a coupon or the good foods that are just expensive period. Let's face it: buying healthy is not the most cost efficient way to buy groceries, but if you want to or have to, then who am I to stop you from eating what's good for you? I would just offer my opinion on HOW to buy what you're buying.

• Check the local ads: If I have done nothing else but help you learn that actually checking store ads before you rush out and buy your goods can save you money, then I am okay with that. If you really do prefer to shop only at Walmart then that's cool--but by all means, price match the other stores' sale prices on the items you want. If Kroger sells red leaf lettuce for $0.99 a bunch, then don't pay Walmart's price just because you are there. Ask to match the ad! Conversely, if you don't mind stopping at a couple different stores, saving on produce can be easy. Food Lion is currently selling 5 lb. white potatoes for $1.49/bag while they are $3.39 at Kroger (whoa). Or, match it at Walmart if you prefer. 

• Buy in Bulk: If organic cheese/bread/meat/etc. goes on a mega sale and you *know* it's rock bottom and won't be that price again for at least 3+ months, then stock up. Only do this if you have the room of course to freeze the items, but all of the above freezes and paying $1 per lb. now versus $3.99/lb later seems like a no brainer to me. Those are real prices on organic foods when they are about to "expire" on the shelf. If I bought the above items at the prices I mentioned, I saved 75% (or, bought 4 for the price of 1!) So, buying healthy isn't that tough when I am willing to work at it a little.

• Buy in season: I know sometimes it's hard to buy only in season or local produce (like me wanting fresh raspberries in winter..) but buying in season fruits/veggies is a way to save money on good food. This is probably my least favorite method, though, because it means I am not buying exactly what I want when I want it :) That's why I like couponing for produce more, since those are year round and will work on most items at any given point :)

I hope this helped a little. I know that 'real' food just costs more, and trust me, I don't deny that at all! What I don't get is people who give up before they even try looking for a better price or deal on something they need and are buying anyway. My in-laws have this awesome co-op they belong to in San Diego that gives them a box full of fresh veggies and fruits every week from local farmers for a set price. It's kind of like a farmers market where they buy locally, but they get a really good deal on all kinds of good foods. I wish we had something like that here in Roanoke, but we make due with what we have, right :) You can still get healthy foods on sale and you can find coupons on fresh foods, you just have to look a little more since the coupon world is overloaded with pantry items. If you have any tips on buying healthy for less, let me know!

Rolling ExtraBucks on a Rainy Day = $7.71!

I know it's been a few days since I last wrote. Truthfully, I started two different blog posts and never finished them because I got distracted or thought it was not interesting enough. I may finish those later today but for now, I'll just share today's deals :) Andrew and I just got home from CVS and we did very well I would say. I wanted to share some of these deals because they are items everyone needs (toilet paper!) and the coupons from today's paper are awesome! Here goes:

Transaction #1:

4 Febreze Air Effects Sprays (3.99 each reg. price)

2 Colgate Optic White Mouthwash 16oz (6.29 each reg. price)

4 Gillette Men's Disposable Razors 4pack (8.29 reg. price each)

1 Physician's Formula Eyeshadow (11.79 reg. price)

Total before card and coupons: $73.49 (without tax) (all full price--so card did not take anything off)--I did the above all together because I had a 20% off any regular priced purchase coupon--it was mailed to me a few weeks ago and was only good June 1 or 2 (either day I could choose, but only good one time). CVS is great about mailing things like coupons if you have a CVS card and simply give them your address. They also email really nice coupons (like 20-30% coupons) so if you are not registered with CVS.com it's easy to do :)

Coupons used:

1 CVS coupon for $10 off any $50 purchase-I get one of these on every receipt lately--usually, my total is well over $50 before coupons, so this is a coupon that the receipt prints off based on YOUR specific habits--I know people who get a $4 off $20 all of the time too, so the more you shop there, the better they treat you :)

1 CVS coupon for 20% entire purchase

1 CVS coupon (from coupon machine) for $4 off any $12 cosmetic purchase (remember, CVS only requires 98% of that total be met--11.79 eyeshadow rounds up to 98% of $12 :) so the coupon was fine)

4 Febreze Air Effects coupons for $1.50 off each (from P&G brandsaver 5/12)

2 Colgate coupons for $2 off any Colgate mouthwash 8oz and over (from TODAY'S paper)

2 Gillette BOGO FREE (up to 11.49) Men's disposables (from TODAY'S paper)--CVS, or at least the ones I've ever shopped at, takes the max value off--so while yes, these razors were only 8.29 per pack, the coupon took off 11.49, woohoo!

Total after coupons and card (for the 20% off to work, I needed to scan my card anyway):

$15.81 + $2.14 tax, so $17.95

I used $11.75 in ExtraBucks from weeks before, so we paid $6.20 in cash ($4.06 subtotal and $2.14 in tax)

I then received the following ExtraBucks: $5 for buying $15 or more in Febreze products, $5 for buying $10 or more in Colgate Optic White, $10 for buying $30 or more on Gillette items, and $7 for buying any Physician's Formula item over $7.49. So, I spent $11.75 in prior EBs, and gained $27 new EBs :) This is where you will see someone say "moneymaker" because I turned $17.95 total into $27 (a gain of $9.05 in CVS money). Granted, I traded $6.20 in cash for CVS money, but I am pretty happy to have that to use on whatever my next deals will be :)

Transaction #2: (did not use a 20% because all items, but 3, were on sale)

2 packs of Charmin 16 double rolls (on sale at $9.99 each-reg. $15.99 each)

1 Dawn 8oz dish detergent (on sale at $0.99, didn't need this really but needed I'll explain why I bought it--reg. $1.67 each)

1 Oral B power toothbrush (on sale at $5.99--reg. $9.99 each)

1 Oral B power replacement brush heads (on sale at $5.99 each--reg. $8.49 each)

1 Tena pads (on sale at $3.79-I don't use these but I know someone who does and it was a moneymaker!--these were reg. $7.59 each, wow)

2 Colgate 16oz Mouthwash (on sale at $4.99 each--reg. $5.99 each)

2 travel size Curel lotion (reg. price of $0.99 each)

1 CVS brand travel (8 count) pain relief PM (on clearance for $1.49--this was $1.99 pre-clearance)

Total with card but before coupons: $50.19 (without tax) (worth $75.57--my card saved me $25.38 alone!)

Coupons used:

1 CVS $10 off $50 purchase

1 CVS coupon for $3 off any toothbrush, mouthwash, or toothpaste $15 or more (from machine)

2 Charmin coupons for $0.25 (Charmin rarely has a 'good' coupon...but from TODAY'S paper)

1 Dawn coupon for $0.50 off any Hand Renewal Dawn (from an old pack of Charmin--if you have never checked packages for coupons--you should! I needed to spend $20 on P&G items (Charmin and Dawn here) in order to get the ExtraBucks and since I know CERTAIN PROMOTIONS REQUIRE THE MINIMUM TO BE MET...like the P&G ones...I needed AT LEAST $20, and the 2 Charmins did not give me that--in this case, the CVS 98% rule DOES NOT APPLY! bummer, I know, but it's dish soap and that's useful, right?

1 Tena coupons for $1 off any Tena product (I found a tearpad in front of these at CVS, but coupons.com has the $1 off coupons if you want to print one!)

2 Colgate $2 off any Colgate mouthwash (again, from TODAY'S paper--I have 6 papers lol)

2 Oral B power brush or brush heads coupon for $3 off any one (from TODAY'S paper)

Total after card and coupons: $25.19 (tax made it $26.51)

I used $10 prior ExtraBucks (I had $30 in Beauty Bucks I had accumulated lol) and then used $15 ExtraBucks from transaction #1 to bring my subtotal down to $0.19, with $1.32 in tax we paid $1.51 in cash.

We earned the following ExtraBucks: $5 for spending $20 on P&G items, $2 for buying an Oral B power brush (did this twice, so $4 EBs), $3 for the Tena pads, $2 for buying the Colgate mouthwash (did this twice, so $4 EBs), and $1 for buying two Curel or Jergens travel size for a TOTAL OF: $17 new Extra Bucks.

I spent $7.71 total in cash today, and used $36.75 in ExtraBucks for $149 worth of household and health items. I still have another $10 Beauty Bucks and a new (from today) $29 in Extra Bucks for a total of $39 in EBs for next time :)

                                                                                                                                                                  

I thought I would try writing a scenario for anyone who wants to try do coupons at CVS but not sure how to "roll":

So, my suggested "deals" for some of you may be:

Transaction #1: Buy 4 Gillette Disposables (at $8.29 each)--use 2 coupons for BOGO FREE Gillette Disposables (takes of 11.49 each)

Spend $11.83 (including tax and coupons), receive $10 Extra Bucks for next time

Transaction #2: Buy 2 big packs of Charmin  (at $9.99 each) and 1 Dawn dish soap (or a box of Puffs at $0.99 each)

Use the $10 Extra Bucks from Transaction #1 and pay $12.01 total (after Extra Bucks and including tax) (exclusive of coupons-those would take off another approx. $0.75 to $1)

Receive $5 Extra Bucks for next time

Transaction #3: Buy 2 Oral B power brushes (at $5.99 each)--use 2 coupons for $3 off any Oral B power brush

Use the $5 Extra Bucks from transaction #2, spend $1.57 (after coupons and EBs) and receive $4 Extra Bucks for next time

Your costs would be: $25.41 out of pocket, with $4 Extra Bucks remaining (or, a net of $21.41 for $86.79 worth of items--or, a 71% savings)

-Obviously, these are just suggestions--but hopefully they help you understand how "rolling" ExtraBucks can save out-of-pocket money and help you get useful items you or your family may need. You could do any one of the above and just keep whatever Extra Bucks you receive and cash them in later :)