Saturday Savings!

It's a new month, and less busy for me, so hopefully that means I'll be able to keep track of things better on here then I have been the last two months!

This week, I only shopped at Kroger because I didn't think the deals at CVS were that great. I didn't shop at all last week, so I had some wiggle room in my budget.

I bought the following (55 items):

for $52.94. I saved $75.36!!! I was excited to find out that Kroger was having triple coupons this week, which was unexpected and quite a treat. I was able to get the 4 Dial soaps, the 4 Reach toothbrushes, and the 3 Buddies soaps for free. I also got several other items for very little, including the pickles, the Kraft Mac & Cheese cups, the Hot Pockets, Ritz and the Wheat Thins. I stayed very close to my $50 budget, and was technically under, since I had so much leftover from not shopping last week. I sure hope Kroger does triple coupons more often!!

Happy shopping!

Saturday Savings!

Wow, I have been a HUGE slacker when it comes to my Saturday Savings posts...been so busy during the week that I haven't been able to shop until Saturday or Sunday...so I haven't been posting. But, this week I actually got out earlier in the week, and had a good shopping trip at Kroger's.

I bought:for $43.70. I saved $81.85!!! I bought 40 items and was quite excited that I was able to save so much, considering the sales weren't amazing this week. My favorite deals of the week are the Country Time lemonade, which is currently a $1.00 at Kroger and with the $1.50/2 you can print from my sidebar, can be bought for $.25, the Kraft dressing, which is currently $1.58, and with the $1.50/1 coupon from last weeks paper can be bought for $.08, and the soda mix and match, as I got my 5 12-packs for $7 thanks to coupons I had earlier.

Although I didn't post my deals from the previous weeks, don't forget that there are tons of good Kraft coupons out right now. If you go to my sidebar and scroll through the coupons, you'll see several Kraft coupons...such as $1.00 off BBQ, dressing and some crackers. Right now, BBQ sauce is $1.00 at Kroger...that would make it free! There are many good deals like that that can be found using the Kraft coupons...so take advantage of them!

Happy Shopping!!!

Saturday Savings!

Finally back with a Saturday Savings post! Been super busy and haven't been getting my grocery shopping done until Saturday afternoons, which means no time for posts!

This week, I shopped at Kroger (although I might still make a quick trip to CVS later today). I was very happy with my take this week! Lots of free stuff! I got the following:

for $38.53. I saved $68.04!!! I purchased 41 items and got many of them free...the toilet paper (yay! Free toilet paper again...wish I had known, I would have bought more papers!), the Quaker quakes, the deodorant, and the spices. Also, there is a Mail in Rebate for the All-Bran, so, essentially, I got those for free as well.

Last week I spent $6.00 at CVS and saved $30, and $50.64 at Kroger, while saving $25.12. The week before, I spent $3.70 at CVS and saved $43.90 and $38.07 at Kroger and saved $59.11.

I would have liked to do a month in review, but I seem to have lost some of my receipts...or at least I used them for MIRs and that means I can't be entirely accurate. I do know that I stayed below my $200, although it was a bit of a struggle this month. I also had somewhere around $20 in MIRs for the month.

Hopefully next month I'll be a little more on top of everything! Happy shopping!

Saturday Savings!

What a week! I may still run back to Kroger/Walmart tomorrow to pick up a few small items and of course water, but for the most part, my shopping trips were relatively small. We are pretty stocked up and were lucky enough to have some fish given to us this week as well as get some home-grown eggs, so we didn't really touch our meat supply. I did go to Walmart this week, first time in a while that I've gone there as well as CVS and Kroger, but, I had good reason as you shall see...

First stop, CVS, where I bought:

for $1.19. I saved $32.82!!! And most of that was tax! Gotta love getting two tubes of mascara for nickles...

I then went to Walmart where I bought:


for $16.76. I saved $19.44!! And, the really tricky part is that I actually have three Mail-In-Rebates from this purchase. The cookies, the Resolve and the shampoo will all come back in rebates - a total of $14.49, which actually means in the long run, I spent a total of $2.17 on everything pictured! That was mostly tax! I don't normally put our pet food in my posts because that comes out of a different fund, but I put it in this time because I got both those bags free! Which was quite nice!

Finally, I stopped at Kroger, where I picked up the following:

for a total of $8.09 (yay for expensive lightbulbs that Walmart doesn't carry...). I saved $17.91!!! Yup, all that milk was free. And all the granola bars were $5 total. We love granola bars in my house so it was nice to have a good deal involving them. I may just do the deal again when I go back to town on Sunday because it is almost too good to pass up...

All in all this week I spent a total of $26.04. I saved a total of $70.17!!! And I earned $14.49 in Mail in Rebates. Unlike some people, rather then put the money earned from MIRs back in to my grocery budget, I use them to pay a little extra on our outstanding loans. I figure since I already set aside a specific amount for a grocery budget, and don't have too much trouble sticking with it, that it does us more good to put them towards loans. That's just my strategy though!

Happy shopping!

Saturday Savings!

Wow, I can't believe another month has come and gone almost! That means it is time for the end of the month totals, and reflection on how I did. But first, here are my purchases for this week.

At CVS this week, I thought the deals were so-so. Seems they aren't offering as many opportunities to get things for "free" or better. However, I still did well with their BOGO items. Here is what I got:
for a total of $.81! I saved $16.97!! I also didn't lose any ECBs, which is nice, but I didn't gain either. I still have about $13 in ECBs left.

I must admit, that when I looked at the Kroger ad this week, I was very disappointed. I realize they just had the MEGA-sale for two weeks, and there was great savings off of that. But this week, I just didn't see much good for sale, or coupons that matched up. I didn't think I'd have a very good shopping trip. Boy was I wrong! This is what I got:

for $43.95! I saved $75.09!!! I was lucky as I started walking around the store, as I found the oatmeal for $1 (no coupons though, as I'd already used my oatmeal coupons earlier in the month). Additionally, I didn't even realize the cheese was on sale 10/$10. That means I got 6 packages of cheese for $6! I stocked up as much as I could. I don't think I'll need cheese for a while (and we like our cheese around here!). I got the Suave, the Glucerna cereals, one box of the Wheat Thins and the Johnson's Buddies soap for free. Additionally, there is a mail in rebate on the Pert Plus, and a coupon online for $1, so I should be making some money back on that.

All in all this week I spent $44.76. I saved $92.06!! Can't complain about that with what I thought was an extremely slow week deal-wise.

This month, I spent a total of $139.08 on groceries. Talk about under budget! I was helped by the use of a $25 gift card one of the weeks, but even if I added that and didn't count it as savings, I would have spent under $170 for the month. That is well below my $200 for the month goal. I think I will continue to stay at the $200 a month goal for now, as it seems reasonable, although, I may be able to cut back a little in the future. We'll see.

I saved a total of $333.07 this month (not including the gift card). That is over twice what I spent!

Additionally, I should have about $6 in Mail-in-Rebates coming back for the month.

Happy shopping everyone, let me know how it is going for you!

Saturday Savings!

What a week! The deals were hopping at Kroger again this week (love the MEGA-sales), and I think I had one of my best shopping trips yet!

I started at CVS this week. I honestly didn't think the deals were that good this week at first. But, I had a $5/30 coupon and thought for once I would actually try and use it (I hardly ever use my $/$$ coupons because they expire too quickly). I ended up purchasing the following (minus a candy bar that disappeared before this photo was taken):

for a grand total of $.29!!! I saved $50.74!!! I also only lost one ECB on the entire purchase, which was in my opinion quite a good shopping trip. I still have $13 in ECB, and while I would like to try and keep it around there, or actually get a few more saved back up, the next few weeks aren't looking the best for deals, but you never know what could come up.

At Kroger this week, I got the following:

for $38.88. I saved $78.27! There are 46 items there, which means I paid under a dollar for each item I purchased! Freebies of the week were both Diet Dr. Pepper's (I found a coupon for a free Dr. Pepper in Cosmo...how random was that?), the gum, one Pepsi 12-pack (which I was extremely excited about because I hardly ever see Pepsi coupons...found here if you use Firefox and here if you use IE), one of the Aqua Juices, the Quaker Quakes, the salsa and both Johnson's Buddies soaps. Not free? The toilet paper you see at the top. I really miss my free toilet paper. I've never tried the Kroger brand tp, and thought I'd give it a try since it is the cheapest, but I may not feel it is worth it in the end (ever notice how sometimes cheaper toilet paper doesn't last as long? Almost worth paying more). Additionally, there is a Mail-in-Rebate for the Sargento's potato topping, which means I will get my money back on that plus some ($2.50 purchase price - $1.00 coupon = $1.50, but when I turn in the MIR, I should get $2.50 back). Love free stuff!

All in all this week, I spent a total of $45.17 (I also purchased water at Walmart). I saved a total of $129.01!!! I continue to be very under budget for the month, mostly because of my stellar week last week. However, I have also stayed under my $50 budget every week so far, which has also helped!

Happy Shopping!

Saturday Savings!

Do you have a child in diapers? If so, check out my coupons.com sidebar for $5.00 and $3.00 off Huggies diapers! Hopefully, they go on sale at Kroger soon, as combined with the Cellfire and Shortcuts coupons that are currently out, there is potential for $8.00 or more savings on diapers! (They were still available as of Friday morning!) ------------------------------------>
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After a week of not posting my Saturday Savings (I was sick!), I am back, with a stellar week!

I went to CVS first this week, although I have no picture. I was mad at myself before I went because I realized that since I couldn't shop last week due to being out of town, sick and people visiting, I had let some of my ECBs expire. But, oh well. I did purchase some toothpaste and vitamin D for a total of $.06! I saved $6.89!

Kroger is once again having a MEGA-sale! I hope it continues next week because as always, there were many things included in the sale that weren't on the flyer, that I'd like to have a chance to get next week! Here is what I got:

For a total of $28.11. I saved $52.86!!!! And, I actually only spent $3.11, because I used a giftcard that B and I got for Christmas. Talk about a great shopping week! :) There were several free items this purchase, including the Buddies soap (can never have too big a stockpile in my opinion!) and the Quaker cakes. One thing I was very upset about this week...my Kroger stopped carrying the 4 packs of Cottonelle! The 4-packs were $.99 and coupons came out that would make it free...so now, I have no way to get free toilet paper and my stockpile is almost out. I seriously stood in the toilet paper aisle for about 10 minutes...dumbfounded that the Cottonelle was no longer there... I guess I'll have to search around for other great deals on TP...

All in all this week I spent a total of $10.71 (went to Walmart for items not pictured) and saved $59.75! I'm not sure I can beat that next week, although if the MEGA-sale continues, I'll be crossing my fingers for more big savings!

This month is going well...last week, although I did not post, I spent $48.74 and saved $52.25. I am already well below budget for this month. :)

Happy shopping! (And let me know if you know of any great deals on TP!)

Saturday Savings!

This week I went to CVS, Walmart and Kroger. Been a while since I've been to Walmart, but I was quite a bit under budget for the month, and I figured now was a good time to get some cleaning supplies we'd be needing soon.

At CVS, I got the following:
for .23! I saved $25.53!! I was looking for other things to buy at CVS, but they were out. I can't complain though.

Here is what I did:

2 Trail Mix Crunch on sale BOGO - $4.79
1 Gillette Razor - $7.99
1 6 Hour Energy Shot - $4.99
1 Valentine's Lollipops (Filler) - $.25
Total = $18.02

- $2.00 off Trail Mix Crunch coupon
- $2.00 off Trail Mix Crunch coupon
- $4.00 off Gillette Razor coupon
- $10 ECB
Final Total = $.23 And, I received $8.99 in ECBs back. I have just under $20 ECBs left to start the month of March, not bad!

At Walmart I got the following:

for $9.47. I saved $2.50! Ok, I know that wasn't huge savings, but, I did realize that the water I typically buy at Kroger is $.50 cheaper at Walmart. It seems there are some things that are definitely cheaper at Walmart in comparison to Kroger...such as water and flour (I price shopped flour today). I will have to keep this in mind in the coming weeks as I do my shopping. $.50 adds up over a period of time.

At Kroger I got the following:

for $41.57. I saved $42.27!!! More then I spent! I used this week to stock up on cereal (5 boxes total between my CVS and Kroger purchases) and meat, since the deals were good at Kroger. We aren't in need of a lot of stuff right now because we most likely will be traveling again this coming week, although I'm keeping an eye out for mashed potato and rice sales, which I hope will happen soon! The nice thing about this trip, is I have a mail in rebate of $2.99 from the cereal, and I got $3.00 off my next shopping order for the purchase of the rolls (and I got three of the rolls for free, in essence making $.70 on the roll purchase).

Overall for the month of February, I spent $184.72, which is $15 under my $200 budget. That means I'll have $15 extra for next month if it is needed. I saved a grand total of $256.59! That doesn't include several rebates I have coming back to me this month ($15.49 worth).

I think on a whole, I had a great month of shopping. I'm still getting the hang of some things, and in the future, would like to try and use my ECBs at CVS to cover even more of my shopping needs...such as all shampoo, conditioner, deodorant purchases...although sometimes the deals are so good at Kroger they are hard to pass up (but again, if something is free at CVS, why even spend $.08 on it at Kroger?).

Next month, I hope to again stick to my $200 budget for groceries and household supplies. I also hope to keep better track of other spending in our house by using a budget spreadsheet. I tried this month and got a bit confused when I didn't update it for a week or so. Oops. I'll do better next month!

Happy Shopping everyone!

Saturday Savings!

This week I went to both CVS and Kroger.

At CVS, I got the following:

for $1.02! I saved $61.67!!! And I actually MADE MONEY by shopping at CVS this week! Yay for rebates! I also had to do 2 transactions so I could have two receipts to get the rebates. I also had to think on my feet a little after I realized that I had the price of the mouth wash wrong (I was off by $4!). Just so I can show you all how I get everything for so cheap, I'll go through my transactions (I never do that!) Here is what I did:

Transaction #1
windex wipes $2.50
colgate total $2.99
colgate total $2.99
gillette fusion razor $7.99 = $16.47

$16.47
-$.40 windex coupon
-$1.00 colgate coupon
-$1.00 colgate coupon
-$4.00 gillette razor coupon
-$10.00 ECB

= $.51 I also earned $5.98, and 4.00 in ECB and I can send in for a mail in rebate for the windex wipes, which will get me $2.50 back, which means I actually made $1.97 from my first transaction! (I earned back almost as many ECBs as I spent -$.02 less then I started with).

Transaction #2
Hershey's kisses $1.49
Hershey's kisses $1.49
Hershey's kisses $1.49
Hershey's kisses $1.49
Neutrogena facial soap $2.99
Neutrogena facial soap $2.99
Natural Dentist mouthwash $9.99
Natural Dentist mouthwash $9.99
Buckeye candy $.50
Buckeye candy $.50
Buckeye candy $.50 = $33.42

$33.42
-$2.00 Natural Dentist coupon
-$2.00 Natural Dentist coupon
-$2.00 off 2 Hershey's kisses coupon
-$2.00 off 2 Hershey's kisses coupon
-$12.00 ECB, $5.98 ECB and $4.00 ECB (the last two were from the first transaction).

=$.51 I earned back $18 in ECB and I can send in for a $10 mail in rebate on the mouthwash, which means I made $5.51 on this transaction (seeing as how I came out with less ECBs then I started with).

All in all, it was a really good shopping day at CVS!

At Kroger I got the following (minus a 6-pack of Aquafina I forgot to put in the picture...):

for $38.58. I saved $18.88! This is probably the least I have saved in quite some time...in part because deals at Kroger were next to none this week. Additionally, since B and I are going out of town for a few days this week, I didn't need to buy a lot of the essentials, so I decided to start stocking up on some meat again because we are running low. If you tallied in the savings I had on the meat (All were Manager's Specials, which don't come up as savings on the receipt) I probably saved another $5-$10.

I actually heard someone talking the other day in the bank about how they thought Kroger was too expensive. There was a point when I thought that maybe shopping at Walmart would save me money. But then I started shopping deals and using coupons, and I truly believe that Kroger isn't more expensive. Maybe if you didn't shop the deals. Also, Kroger keeps sending me coupons in the mail, and this month alone, I got coupons for a free liter of Pepsi and a 6-pack of Gatorade! Walmart surely doesn't do that (or give you money off on gas). I'm happy with Kroger and am glad I stuck with shopping there!

In all this week, I spent $47.19 on groceries/household supplies. There are a few things I bought this week that aren't in the pictures. :)

I'm crossing my fingers for some Pepsi deals next week because we are running low!

Happy shopping!

Coupons!

You may have noticed a new addition to my right sidebar over the last few days...the coupons.com widget. I print a lot of my coupons from coupons.com and can honestly say that using their coupons have saved me a lot of money over the time that I have been trying to cut my grocery shopping budget. The nice thing about coupons.com is that they offer coupons for great brands, and many high-dollar coupons. I hope to point out when some really good ones are available.

I encourage you to scroll through my sidebar and print off what you like. It will save you money (and earn me a few pennies)!

Saturday Savings!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

I had another good week shopping at Kroger! I bought the following items:


for $49.06. I saved $39.06! I was actually surprised I saved so much...although they were have another decent sale where they gave money back for so many specific items purchased, many of those items were things I didn't have coupons for. I took advantage of the fact that Gatorade was a part of the sale and was able to stock up over the last two weeks. Gatorade for $.69 is good! I've also been stocking up on the soap (Johnson's Buddies) as I have tons of coupons that allow me to get them for free...and every time I buy them, I just keep getting more! (We might be overstocked on soap!

This was the second week that I came in below my $50 per week budget. I am doing good so far for the month. One thing I wish I could get rid of is tax! It eats up about $2.00 or more for each of my trips and that's at least another item I could buy instead!

Happy Shopping!

Saturday Savings!

This week was quite good in terms of shopping. Although, I also didn't need as much because we didn't eat a lot of food...B wasn't feeling that good earlier in the week, so I used the shopping trip as a way to stock up on a few items and get a few freebies.

My first stop this week was CVS. I got:

for $.64 cents! I saved $24.98! I got the milk for free! I love free milk! :) I used $15.98 in ECB and earned back $15.49. Not a bad trip.

At Kroger I got:
for $36.56. I saved $41.70!! And bought 35 items! Although Kroger is no longer doing their mega-sale event, they were doing another sale event that allowed you to get $3.00 off if you bought 10 of an item. I probably could have bought another 10 gatorades, but chose not to. I got the Cottonelle, the Buddies soap and the Kleenex for free. The soap was $.18.

So far, I have spent $37.20 this month. That is well under my $50 a week budget. It gives me some wiggle room in the coming weeks as well.

Happy shopping!

Saturday Savings!

I don't have any pictures this week. Boo. :( I went shopping with B and got home and just started putting things away, and totally forgot to take a picture! I'm still going to talk about what I spent, especially as it is the last week of the month and I need to go over how I did.

I went to CVS this week (my ECBs are about to expire...and B said, I need shampoo...oops stocked up on my shampoo and forgot about his...but luckily...shampoos were on sale this week at CVS and they were ones that offered ECBs!) where I bought:

2 Gillette shampoos $4.99 a piece
2 Head and Shoulders shampoos $4.99 a piece
2 Mentos Gum $1.69 for two (they were BOGO)

My total before coupons was $21.65

I used the following coupons:
(2) $2 off one Gillette shampoo
(2) $1 off Head and Shoulders shampoo
(1) $.55 off 2 Mentos Gum
$14.97 ECBs

My total after coupons was: $.47! I saved $21.18!! And, I still got $12 in ECBs back!

Kroger continued their mega-sale this week, which I love. I don't love shopping with B. He doesn't like to stick to my list. :) Anyway, here is a summary of my spending at Kroger:

Spend $48.41 on 47 items. Saved $70.83!

I love the MEGA sale! Believe it or not, that is not nearly as much savings as some people I have seen, but, I also bought quite a few items that were not part of the mega-sale.

In January, my goal was to keep my budget under $250. In total, I spent $255.95. Not too bad considering I didn't think about the fact their were 5 weekends in January until over halfway through January. I will have to keep that in mind as I shop in the future if I want to keep my budget where I want it. In total, I saved $400.23!!!

After two months couponing and shopping sales, I can definitely say that I see the difference in our checking account. It is nice to know that I can provide food for us on a weekly basis and do it for about $50. It truly is such a difference then the $100 or more I was spending before.

Next month I want to try and keep the budget at $200. In the long run, this is what I want the budget to be every month, and I think it is a goal that can be acheived with planning.

Happy Shopping!

Saturday Savings!

This week was Kroger's MEGA-sale. Not as good as the last mega-sale, but still, good deals, and who can resist the potential to take an extra $15 off your purchase? I had a wonderful shopping trip this week, and once again, did not go to CVS or Walmart as there wasn't anything I was interested in at either place.

I bought:
for a total of $52.92. I saved $71.13!! I bought a total of 48 items, which means I paid a little over a $1 an item (especially since I had $2.47 worth of tax).

This month I have done an excellent job of staying near my $50 a week goal. I didn't think about the fact that I will actually have 5 weeks in January though, which means I may go over my proposed budget for the month. We'll see what next week brings (hopefully a continuation of the mega-sale!).

Happy Shopping!

Saturday Savings!

This week, I was not excited about many of the sales. I didn't go to CVS because it didn't seem worth it. There also wasn't anything I wanted from Walmart. So, I only went to Kroger this week.

I got the following:
for $52.11. I saved $38.00. I apparently added wrong with my calculator, and had I not had tax, I would barely been above $50.00. But, I can't complain. I got 49 items, and several of them free: the Johnson's soap, and the Cottonelle. Again I got the Suave for $.50 a piece and a lot of the other items I bought for $1.00 or less. I even added on a few items I wouldn't normally buy to make some special treats for tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers for some Pepsi deals next week as we are almost out and I've been waiting for a good one to stock back up...

I am still doing well with my budget for the month. Happy shopping!

Couponing

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway!!!
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I figure since some of my bloggy friends have been asking about how I've been saving, I'd write a post about my couponing. I am HARDLY an expert at couponing and have only been clipping coupons since the middle of October. But in that time, I have effectively cut our grocery shopping budget (food, toiletries and cleaning supplies) in half.

I had heard for many years of the people who could shop at stores and save hundreds of dollars. I never really knew how they did it. Then one day I stumbled upon this blog. She talked about how she saved more then she spent at the grocery store. I couldn't believe it! I tried to understand what she did, but...I'll be honest, I didn't understand. I started clipping coupons and figured that would equal MEGA-savings. Uh, I was wrong. I got frustrated that I couldn't save a lot of money. How on earth did she do it? I read back over her posts and was still a bit confused. I eventually stumbled across Stretching A Buck. She outlined how to match up sales and coupons, and actually showed what coupons matched up with what sales. And finally, I understood. (I strongly suggest finding a site that does this for you...there are many that will actually go through the circular and do the coupon matchups for pretty much any store.) Clip coupons, match those with weekly deals, use coupons loaded on to your shopping card (from places like cellfire.com or shortcuts.com) and make a list. It truly works.

Clipping coupons alone will NOT save you tons of money. They definitely help. And I think any amount of money saved is good. BUT, the most important thing to do is look through your circular for the week. What stuff is on sale? What coupons do I have that match those things that are on sale? Can I get some of those items for free after coupon? (Most likely YES!) It is those items that should be added to your shopping list. Most people will actually do menu-planning for the week based around what they can buy at the store. That way, they only have to buy those things. They can go in with a list and stick to it.

I think the menu-planning around the sales is actually the hardest thing. B and I have always liked certain foods/brands. I felt it was worth it to give some of these up (or at least not buy them until they were on sale and I had coupons), he did not see it that way at first (of course, now he sees we are saving...so he has a bit of a different opinion...). I can be honest and say that I still don't menu plan. But, I know what I have in my freezer (I buy bulk, it is much cheaper) and what I can use to make meals. And I also just come up with things based upon what I buy. (Although I do still buy some things that we just can't seem to pass up that aren't on sale...). Also, there are some things I would LIKE to have around, but don't NEED to have around. I put them on my list, and if there is room on my budget, I might get them since I won't be over budget (although I still have a problem buying them if they aren't on sale...so I just keep adding them to my list until they are on sale :)

I have also begun stockpiling. When things are on sale, I try and buy enough to get us to the next time they will be on sale. For example, I spent a month stockpiling on meat. I haven't had to buy any meat for the month. So instead, I've been buying other things we need. Cereal, waters, etc. That way they won't be a part of my budget when I have to buy meat again (which is always a higher priced item, even when on sale, so the less I have to buy when I have to buy meat, the better). Also, look for meat that is on managers special. If you are going to freeze it, it doesn't matter that it is on special. Take advantage of the markdowns! Also, don't feel that you HAVE to buy something just because it is on sale. Deals and sales aren't one time things, and eventually the deal will run again.

Taking advantage of drug store reward programs has also been a HUGE moneysaver for me. I shop at CVS and do their Extra Care Bucks program. I believe Walgreens has Rapid Rewards, and that Rite Aid may also have a program. These programs can be extremely confusing. But again, there are many sites that will help you. Taking advantage of the rewards programs (which effectively give you FREE money) will help you stock pile on shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. All items that typically put a big hole in your budget if bought at regular price. I am no pro at these reward programs...some people do several transactions at once...I don't try all that. But, what I have found is that I can save $70 while spending $2 or less. I STRONGLY recommend looking in to these deals (and if you want help, ask, and I will point you in the right direction!).

There are many mail in rebate offers, and lots of coupons to be found on the web. In addition, buying two newspapers or more, is a good idea. Having two of the same coupon helps you take advantage of Buy One Get One deals...where you can use two coupons...both of which technically apply to the one that you are purchasing full price...and significantly lower that price. For example, Dawn dish soap was BOGO at CVS the other week. Buy one at $1.49 get one free. I had two coupons, both for $.50 off. I used them both, and ended up getting both dish soaps for $.49 cents. Not bad!

While couponing and paying attention to deals is a huge help, the thing that has helped me the most is having a list and especially taking a calculator with me. The calculator keeps me on track. I know exactly where I am at. And since I have been taking it with me, I haven't gone over budget once.

So, that is couponing in a nutshell. At least how I have been saving. I hope this helps. If you have questions, feel free to ask! Take a look at the blogs I have on the left...they are where I go to find all the deals, items that will be free after coupons at different stores, and free samples!

Saturday Savings!

Have you entered my giveaway?
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I went to one of our CVS' early in the week and was sorely disappointed to see that they were out of EVERYTHING I hoped to buy EXCEPT the Garnier Fructis Shampoo/Conditioner. I was in a hurry and decided to leave. My hubby had to get his hair cut yesterday, and I decided to run in to the CVS next door to the hair cutting place while he got cut. I had a good day. I got the following (four cans of catfood are missing because I already put them away and fed our kitties one of them):

for $2.07. I saved $76.85!!! I even gained $4 in ECBs! I caved this week and got things we don't need/use. Namely the children's throat coolers, but they were a huge money maker with BOGO coupons, and I figure we have enough friends that have young kids that we can give them to them. I actually went in for one transaction and my hubby found me at the store (his hair cut was quick!) and looked around and found the protein bars, which he likes, and asked if there was a way to get them. I had to think on my feet. I did two transactions, and still spent very little. I must admit, even he was impressed (and I think for a while he has wondered about my coupon "craze") :). That was probably the best part of the trip.

I didn't go to Walmart this week. Or, well, I did, but I didn't find anything I wanted, so I left.

Here is what I got at Kroger:
I spent $46.12, and saved $37.28! I got four candy bars for free, as well as the Cottonelle (ah, I've gotten like 6 packages of toilet paper free in the last 3 months!), and the milk as part of their cereal promotion deal. The Softsoap, Suave and Powerade were all under $.50. I must admit, shopping early on a Sunday, they were out of a lot of stuff. I guess they must restock early, but I had intended on getting different protein bars, but they only had 2 left. Not having to buy meat really makes for nice room in the budget, but I'll probably have to start buying some next week as our supply in dwindling. :)

This weeks totals are $48.19 spent, $114.13 saved! I came in under budget and saved twice as much as I spent. Not bad! :)

Saturday Savings!

Ok, new month, new budget. I'm really happy with how I did this week, despite some math errors with my CVS purchase (sometimes, I wonder about myself), and despite the fact there weren't the most amazing deals out there.

My first stop of the week was CVS. I've been going earlier in the week in order to hopefully get the good deals, as it seems when I went on Saturday's that I often missed out. I bought the following:

for $1.22. I saved $26.85! I probably could have knocked another $1.00 off if I had done my addition right, but oh well. :) B and I have so much toothpaste that I've been trying to give some of it away! But, it is hard to pass up a money maker. Again, you can find a $1.50 off coupon on the last page of this link.

At Walmart I got the following (plus a 6-pack of water that I accidentally put in the photo with my Kroger groceries):

for $6.40. I saved $2.20. One of these days I'll find a good coupon for Aquafina and stock up. It kills me every week.

Finally, at Kroger I got the following (minus the 6-pack of water that should be in the Walmart photo):

for $46.23. I saved $49.28!! More then I spent! I was disappointed because a few of my e-coupons didn't work. No idea why. I even double checked them before I went, but oh well. Also, how lucky was I to go on a different day this week and find gatorade for 2/1.00? They are normally $1.05 a piece but for some reason were on Manager's special (and when I went back later in the week, they no longer had any on special...). B and I stocked up. I took advantage of the P&G sale to help earn money towards the coupon booklet, and also was able to find some really nice deals. I got the toothpaste and the Cottonelle for free, and the Ben and Jerry's for $.29 a pint! Don't find that often! We are still really good on meat, so I didn't have to buy any this week.

Overall, my total for the week was $53.85. And I saved $78.33! That's a lot more then I spent!

For those of you coupon clippers, this week is supposed to be an EXCELLENT week for coupons. There should be up to 5 inserts in the paper this week. I'm going to buy two papers to double up on my coupons. I've learned that having two of each coupon is a good help because when you have BOGO deals, you can use 2 coupons. Extra savings!

Happy Shopping!

Saturday Savings!

Well, here it is, my last Saturday Savings post for the month of December. I'll be reviewing my efforts this month after I show you how my shopping trips fared.

I went to CVS early in the week this time, the earliest I've ever gone, Sunday morning when they opened because I wanted to hit the super sale. I was really excited about the Arm and Hammer cleaner pretty much being a freebie. I was sorely disappointed though, as both CVS' in our town were sold out. Apparently, they hadn't had the cleaner for a month or so. Grr. They were sold out of a few items, but between the two stores, I think I did pretty well. I had to really rework my scenarios on the spot, but I did so without having to spend too much out of pocket. Here is what I got:

For all those items, I spent $4.03 Oop. I saved $51.12. Can't be too disappointed with that. I also earned over $24 in ECBs when I used $20. So, In all, I came out on top I think. I'm hopeful they will have the Arm and Hammer cleaner on sale again in the not too distant future. I'd like to stock up on it!

At Walmart I bought:

for $5.21. I saved $8.24. I was glad to be able to use some of my coupons before they expired on good candy deals (yay after Christmas sales!).

And finally at Kroger I got:

for $47.74. I saved $22.06. Obviously I didn't save as much this week as I did other weeks. There are a few reasons. The first is that there was not much on sale this week that corresponded with other good deals. The second is that we didn't NEED a lot of items this week. I decided, that since I still had room in our budget, that I would buy items that I typically buy in order to stock up on them (such as the pizza...we normally eat one a week, so I buy one every week, but now we have three stocked in our freezer...that is over $3 saved for the next three weeks). Hopefully, that will help me to stay within/under budget in the coming weeks.

So, my total for the week is $56.98. In total, I saved $81.42. I don't think I can complain about that!

At the beginning of the month, I set a goal of keeping within a $300 grocery budget. This was the first month I have ever budgeted for groceries, but do know in the past that I was spending over $100 a week on groceries (not keeping track of sales or couponing). I came in well under my budget, spending only $227.13 in all this month. I saved a total of $250.55!!!

Next month, I am going to lower my budget to $250. My goal is to eventually spend $200 and under, and while I spent less then $250 this month, I am still working on things, and would like to give myself a bit of leeway still. I think I can cut back on some of the cleaning supplies (although I find it hard when I am finding things for free or next to free) , and since we are well stocked up on meat, I probably won't have to buy as much, which should help keep the grocery bill lower.

Happy shopping everyone!

Saturday Savings!

Time for the weekly grocery shopping post. I didn't do as well today as I would have liked. Bargains were scarce this week...perhaps because this coming week will have REALLY good sales because it is the holiday week (I know CVS will be having a nice sale tomorrow and Monday). Good news is that I did get to return the deodorant that I made a mistake on last week, so that makes me happy.

Ok, at CVS, I got the following:

for .62. Gotta love tax. I saved $7.39. I earned $4.00 in ECBs after spending only $2.59. Nice thing is that I have $19.98 in ECBs for the huge sale that starts tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what I can find...I still have a hard time buying anything that B and I won't really use. Although we sure have a huge stock of toothpaste now. Hard not to keep buying it when they give you $2.00 in ECBs and you can get the toothpaste for $1.49. I'm able to get it so low by using the coupon found here (and you can print a never ending supply!).

At Walmart I got the following:
for $9.29. I saved $3.75 Of course, the water never helps. I probably could have done without the cleaners, but I needed toilet bowl cleaner and I had a coupon about to expire. And the Resolve is something we use around the house often, and my last coupon for that was about to expire. So, I decided to use them.

Finally, at Kroger I got the following:


for $48.22. I saved $36.58. One thing I was not happy about is the e-coupon I uploaded to my card for the Goody Ouchless didn't work. I lost a dollar there. I got the Cottonelle again for free plus an additional $.50, and there was such a good deal on Chicken that I had to buy more. We should be good on meat for at least the next two weeks, so that will help me stay low on my budget/get more things (as it typically takes up about 30-40% of my budget). I want to know when apples became so expensive?!? $2.29/lb! Good thing I love my husband, or I might not have gotten them. Not a fan of paying so much.

My total for today was $58.13. Not too far over my goal of getting down to $50 a week. But I am still well within my $300 budget for the month. My total savings was $47.72. I almost saved as much as I spent, but not quite. I'm still doing much better then I was!

Happy shopping and let's hope next week brings some great deals (even if there are no coupon inserts in this week's Sunday paper!).