I usually don't photograph my groceries, though I read plenty of other blogs who do. They photograph all of the groceries they bought in a week's time and tell how they only paid $23 for $352 worth of groceries... or something like that. Well, today was just good enough that I found myself arranging items on the counter and running for my camera.
I got all of these things above at Walmart. Absolutely free. Yes, that's $0.00. Nada. Zip! Whoo-hoo!!! Happy dance! How, you ask? I spend a few minutes every day on those grocery blogs signing up for free samples. I've gotten all kinds of free sample products in the mail. And that's how I ended up with coupons for all these items absolutely free. The coupons were delivered right to my snail mail box. In case you can't make it out, that's Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal (one of David's favorites), DiGiorno Deep Dish personal size pizza, Ritz Crackerfuls, Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Shaved lunch meat, Kraft 100 calorie packs of cheese bites, and Oscar Meyer Selects Bun Length Angus hot dogs. Not to bad, huh?
I think I did pretty good at Walgreen's, too. This is everything I got at WG. Bottom line, I spent $24.85 out of pocket. Sales, discounts, and coupons saved $35.05 off the bill. I took home $13.00 Register Rewards to use on my next purchase. I've heard others come out less OOP, but I was happy with it! The next trip to WG ought to be less OOP since I now have the RR's.
I think I'm getting the hang of working the Walgreens deals, and I'd like to say THANK YOU to Walgreens! And I'd also like to say THANK YOU to Grandma, who sat in the car with the kids while I ran inside Walgreens!!!!! Grandma asked me where I found all these coupons, so I'm including that also. MC means manufacturer's coupon.
Pam Cooking Spray: $3.99 - $1 MC from All You Magazine = $2.99 Peter Pan Peanut Butter: $3.49 - $.50 MC Internet Printable = $2.99 Hunt's Tomato Sauce: In Ad Coupon $0.39 x 4 = $1.56 Triaminic Sore Throat Formula: $5.99 - $1.50 MC Internet Printable= $4.49 Expecta Lipil DHA Supplement: $12.99 - $2 MC which was expired! from the last box I had = $10.99 (I'll continue to take while nursing) Excedrin Menstrual Complete Express Gels: $5.99 - $4 Walgreens coupon - $2 MC Internet Printable = $0.02 overage! (I thought these might come in handy after the baby!) Excedrin Menstrual Complete Express Gels: $5.99 - $4 Walgreens coupon - $2 MC Internet Printable = $0.02 overage! Nature Made Prenatal Vitamins: $12.99 - $1 MC from newspaper = $11.99 (I'll continue to take while nursing) Nature Made Chewable Vitamin C: $8.49 - B1G1 on Nature Made Vitamins -$1 MC from newspaper = $1.00 overage!! (if I'd realized this one applied, I would have gotten 2 prenatals instead!) Glade Sense & Spray Air Freshner: $9.99 - $4 Walgreens coupon - $4 MC from newspaper= $1.99 Huggies Gentle Care Wipes: on sale 2/$5.00 - my last $5 Huggies MC Internet Printable = FREE - $10.00 Walgreens coupon from my previous Huggies / Kimberly Clark deal So my total came up to $25.98!
So... if I apply the rebates to the receipt total...
$3.98and a free DVD for over $68 worth of groceries & health items!
Aunt Sissy asked me where I found some of my information, so here are a few of my favorite sites for finding the coupon match-ups (I've got these in my reader):
I also find it easy to find coupon match-ups myself by viewing the weekly sales ads online. Both Walgreens' & Kroger's weekly ads are online and are searchable by product. For example, if I have a coupon for Peter Pan, I can search each ad to see if anyone has Peter Pan on sale this week. Then I try to wait to use the coupon until I find someone with it on sale. If it's not on sale & I need it, and if it's 50c or less, I'll use that coupon at Kroger where they double and triple coupons. This usually gets the cost of the item below the other "every day low price."
Yes, I've become one of those people who's so excited about coupons that I actually scanned my receipt. This is a new high for me, though! $25.05 in manufacturer's coupons, including those from cellfire.com, shortcuts.com, and pgesaver.com! The bonus coupons are the ones Kroger doubled & tripled. And the plus savings are sale prices I got because I used the Kroger Plus Card. Just think, if I'd forgotten to hand over my card, my bill would have been about $30 more!
And I got catalinas worth $9.50 off future purchases and another for a free pack of "kids yogurt".
And most exciting - Really the only thing I've been craving this pregnancy is cream soda! I was able to get A&W Diet Cream Soda (no need to add the extra sugar) for $0.75 per 2L! Whoo-hoo!!!! Now hand me my cup and nobody gets hurt...
You've got to check out this lady's Walgreen's receipt - She paid $0 oop (out of pocket) for over $90 of merchandise! Granted, she covered the last 8 bucks with a gift card, but still pretty amazing.
Aunt Sissy suggested blogging my exciting coupon shopping trips, so I figured why not? I had a small shopping trip this week, but did have some noticeable savings that I was proud of! (Is it strange that coupons make me so excited?) How about you?
Wal-Mart Coupons Most of these coupons were printed coupons from coupons.com or manufacturers' websites. The Suave coupon I got in the mail by doing a survey or something.
Toaster Scrambles: $1.88 - $1 coupon = $.88 8 Yoplait Yogurt Cups: $.60/each - $1/8 coupon = $.48/each (Elizabeth & I have been eating a lot of yogurt lately) 2 Yoplait Kids Yogurt Drinks with DHA: $2.58/each - $1/2 = $1.58/each Suave 2-n-1 Shampoo/Cond, large bottle: $3.00 - $3 coupon = FREE! Aveeno Baby Wash/Shampoo: $2.97 - $2 coupon = $.97 18 gal Rubbermaid Storage Tote: $8.94 - $1 coupon = $7.94 (for storing outgrown girl's clothes) Total savings through coupons (some of these were done more than once) = $14.00
Kroger Deals Most of these coupons were from Sunday paper coupon inserts. Some printed coupons from coupons.com or manufacturers' websites. The e-coupons I used were from cellfire.com.
Pillsbury Cake Mix: Sale Price $0.94 - .40 coupon, doubled = $0.14/each (got 2 for upcoming birthdays) Red Seedless Grapes: Sale Price $.99/lb = $1.08 Viva Big Roll Paper Towel: $2.39 - .35 coupon, tripled = $1.34 Frito's: Sale Price $2 Cottonelle 4-pk: $1.19 - .25 e-coupon - $1.00 coupon = $0.06 OVERAGE Cottonelle 4-pk: $1.19 - .50 coupon, doubled = $0.19 Cottonelle 4-pk: $1.19 - .50 coupon, doubled = $0.19 Kleenex with Lotion, large box: $2.09 - .40 coupon, doubled = $1.29 Kroger Milk: reduced for quick sale to $1.89/gal Kroger Milk: reduced to $1.89/gal Kroger Milk: reduced to $1.89/gal (the sell by date on the milk was Feb 19, so I put it into the freezer until I need to pull it out) Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath: $2.89 - .50 coupon, doubled = $1.89 Eggland's Best Large Eggs: $2.59 - .35 coupon, tripled = $1.54 Eggland's Best Large Eggs: $2.59 - .35 coupon, tripled = $1.54 6 Yoplait Light Yogurt Cups: $.60/each - .50 e-coupon - .50 coupon, doubled = $.35/each Total savings through sale prices, coupons, and doubles/triples = $14.11
Total savings on this small trip = $28.11 !!!
The one that got away...
I find it's easiest for me to get away to do shopping by myself on Monday or Tuesday. Our Kroger sales run Wednesday-Tuesday. So on the last day of this week's sale, one biggie got away from me. They had the small boxes of Totino's Pizza Rolls on sale for 4/$5. Then I had 4 coupons for $.35 off, which would have been tripled, making each box $.20! I normally don't buy these, but at $.20/box I thought it would be something different for the kids or a quick snack for Dad. Apparently, this had been a popular sale, because they were completely out of the small boxes! Oh, well...
And nothing I've tried has helped, but I still can not print coupons from my computer from smartsource.com or eversave.com. : ( It's really annoying me, too, because I missed some more Cottonelle coupons and Tidy Cat!
Coupon shopping takes some prep-work, but it works for me!
Sorry about that massive banner for coupons.com. I put in the code for the smaller banner & this big one keeps showing up. If you're seeing a small one, never mind.
OK, here's the deal - the outlet mall opened at 11pm Thanksgiving night!
Carter's had already sent me an email about their sale starting at midnight - 50% or more off every item in the store. Shoppers arriving between midnight-10AM got a coupon for another 10% off your entire purchase... while the coupon supply lasted. And on top of that, I found a coupon from the Star-Telegram for a $10 gift card to any store in the outlet mall, while supplies lasted. So...
MawMaw, Aunt Jana & I headed to the outlet mall at about 11pm while Dad stayed home with the sleeping kids. I found a green jacket marked 70% off and a thick green vest for 50% off. (then add another 10% off!) Put them together and we have a versatile coat for a little boy who loves green!
The jacket & vest, two little shirts for Elizabeth, a dirt cheap skirt for next summer, a pack of truck underwear, and an adorable pair of tights = about $20 after all discounts.
My first midnight sale & keeping MawMaw out way past her bedtime = priceless.
So then I came home & napped... because now I didn't need to be at WM at 5am fighting the crowds to get a cheap WM brand coat that may or may not have lasted. But because I love my husband, and we saw that Target had the game he wanted for half the usual price, I got up again at 4:45 and headed to the Wax store.
I arrived in the parking lot at 5:30. They opened at 6am. The line waiting to get into the store was down to the garden center doors at the Lowe's next door. So, I parked over there & got in line. Everyone seemed to be chipper. As people started pouring in behind me, I heard them talking about how awful their experiences were at WM earlier.
Then a guy came down the line giving everyone in line a coupon for a free chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-a. Don't you just love them!??!? Then some Lowe's employees came out into the garden center getting ready for their opening at 6am. One of them hollered out, "You know, some of y'all could come over to our store!" The other hollered, "Hey, one of you guys pull me out a TV & save it for me, OK?"
5:55am - The frigid air becomes filled with drizzle. A crowd starts to form close to the doors of the store. People who've been waiting in line start to get agitated. The lone security guard is loosing.
6am - The doors open. The line starts filing inside and a pack of about 30 people who were not in line bolt toward the door. People are more agitated & start hollering things I won't repeat. People from the back of the line started sprinting, passing people who've been waiting longer. I got in as quickly as I could. No, I did not run. I went straight to electronics.
The game was all gone. The game system was all gone. I left empty handed.
My sleep-deprived, pregnant self was about to start crying when I remembered the free chicken biscuit. I was starting to feel better with some chicken & Diet Coke in my system. Then Silent Night came on the radio, I sang along & enjoyed the rest of my morning - I sang Christmas carols with the radio all the way home, I thought about how blessed we are and how I know I am more blessed than the people who ran & pushed & shoved & grabbed up what my husband wanted. I enjoyed the beauty of a deserted county road with fall colors and falling leaves, and the fact that I was going home to my own house. I moved all the boxes that were still stacked where the Christmas tree will go.
A couple of hours later, when everyone else got up, Dad & I decided to try another Target for his game. They were also out, but I was able to get a rain check, so even when the game goes back up to full price, I can still get it for half-off. The checker at that store mentioned that another store that was just 4 miles up the road was rumored to still have the game system. So we went on.
I'm happy to report that after Dad had saved for the game system for 2 years now, I got the last one they had at the 3rd Target of the morning! And that it came with a free $60 Target card... which I can now use when I go back with my rain check... making Dad's game absolutely free, with gift card to spare!
So overall, Black Friday was a success for me! And guess what - the system came with Pac-Man! And 2 kid games that I've already listed on eBay!
and I rather like it. I'd like to show you some photos of the new house, but most of it is still covered in boxes, Alan's computer has no photo-working software, and I can't get Grandpa's computer to work. My computer is not set up yet. My first priority when it does get set up - find some new photo software!
In the mean time I can load huge, uncropped photos on my flickr account - so click over there to check out what's been going on in my life. Here's a sample of what you'll see in the neatest corner of my house!
I went on my first "power shopping" trip last night at Kroger. But first, we took a quick ride through Wal-Mart to see if these advertised prices really were that much better... and they were. Armed with the store sale circular, customer reward card, Internet printable coupons and e-coupons, I saved a total of $28.54 off my grocery bill. If I hadn't been a child-toting newbie, I could have saved even more. Tiredness and inexperience go the best of me, though. What I learned for next time:
Study the circular even more before arriving at the store.
Try to go to the store early in the sale period for the best selection.
Make sure to hand over the store reward card to be scanned first! (I think that's why my e-coupons were not deducted.)
Go early in the day when Dad is off duty so he can keep the kids!
It's all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours. From the stars in the sky to the depths of the ocean floor. It's all Yours God, Yours God, everything is Yours. You're the maker and keeper, Father and ruler of everything. It's all Yours.
I got all of these things above at Walmart. Absolutely free. Yes, that's $0.00. Nada. Zip! Whoo-hoo!!! Happy dance! How, you ask? I spend a few minutes every day on those grocery blogs signing up for free samples. I've gotten all kinds of free sample products in the mail. And that's how I ended up with coupons for all these items absolutely free. The coupons were delivered right to my snail mail box. In case you can't make it out, that's Kashi Heart to Heart Cereal (one of David's favorites), DiGiorno Deep Dish personal size pizza, Ritz Crackerfuls, Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Shaved lunch meat, Kraft 100 calorie packs of cheese bites, and Oscar Meyer Selects Bun Length Angus hot dogs. Not to bad, huh?
I think I did pretty good at Walgreen's, too. This is everything I got at WG. Bottom line, I spent $24.85 out of pocket. Sales, discounts, and coupons saved $35.05 off the bill. I took home $13.00 Register Rewards to use on my next purchase. I've heard others come out less OOP, but I was happy with it! The next trip to WG ought to be less OOP since I now have the RR's.
Carter's had already sent me an email about their sale starting at midnight - 50% or more off every item in the store. Shoppers arriving between midnight-10AM got a coupon for another 10% off your entire purchase... while the coupon supply lasted. And on top of that, I found a coupon from the Star-Telegram for a $10 gift card to any store in the outlet mall, while supplies lasted. So...
