Guess what Hayden is getting for Easter.....

Now you know what he is getting and why I love Target. Target had a promotion that when you purchased Toy Story 1 & Toy Story 2 the register automatically took $10.00 off of your order. Toys R Us was offering if you purchased both of them together that the price for each would be $16.99. So to combine these great deals you just need to take the Toys R Us Flyer in to your local Target and ask them to price match the Toys R Us add. Once they do this the price drops to $33.98 minus the $10 off the register takes off automatically. Now you are down to $23.98. The you give them the 2 $10 off coupons for both movies that the Disney Movie club was offering and BAM you are now down to $3.98 for both movies before tax. So after tax my total was $5.84 for two movies, which also contain 2 free movie tickets to go see Toy Story 3, and 2 Free Toy Story 2 Games for the Computer. I know what you are thinking.... 1 movie ticket is worth more than what I paid for both movies. At least that is what I was thinking. Now I can actually afford to buy a drink & popcorn while at the movie since they gave me 2 movies (DVD & Blu Ray version combo pack), & 2 movie tickets for $5.84. LOL!!!

Hayden will be one happy little fella come Easter morning.

2nd Day of Triples at Harris Teeter

Well this was today's score minus the 2 packages of Kebbler Cheesecake Middle Cookies that are hidden in Mommy's closet. LOL!! Due to the time restraints of Preschool & the fact that we had to squeeze in a Target run (more on that later) we were only able to hit 2 stores. But I am fine with that. There is always tomorrow. LOL!! I really think I am only going to do one more days worth of trips because I am running low on my coupon stash for this event & since baseball for Nicholas starts this weekend I really won't have time to shop at all. So totals for today were:

$99.71 of Product
$79.51 Saved
$20.20 Paid OOP

This makes for a savings of 79.74%. I am still well within my goal of saving at least 75% for this entire event. I hope you girls are having as good of a time that I am this week.

1st day of Triples at Harris Teeter!!!

Well it was a great day at Harris Teeter. We didn't even get started until after 10:30 and we were still able to snag some great deals. We ran into a few things that were already out of stock, but knowing Harris Teeter they should be stocked back up by tomorrow morning. As you can see we got a lot to pack away today. So here are my totals for today.

Product total $179.67

Total Coupons Used $ 152.09

Total OOP was only .......$ 27.58 that is a savings of $84.65%!!!

The only thing not purchased with a coupon was the 3 packs of Strawberries. They were on sale for Buy 1 Get 2 Free. Since Nicholas asked so nicely for them last night I promised I would buy them. So that accounts for $5.00 of my total right there.

I am already looking forward to tomorrows trip. Check back and see if I can beat today's totals with tomorrows trip.

Packing for a trip

I told Ashlee & Hayden that we had to pack for a trip to my mom's this weekend. I then went to the back to start getting things ready and to look for the suitcase. When I came back in the room this is what he and Ashlee had assembled. Some toys, magazines, books, blankets, pull ups, coats, and about 10 pair of pajamas. I guess this was their idea of what they might need. As you can see he was very pleased with himself. LOL!!!

quick last minute shopping trip

I was sitting here this morning all snug in my jammies thinking I really need to get up and do something today. I have a $5RR that expires tomorrow and I have no idea what is on sale at Walgreens this week. I remember something about cheap gum and more toothpaste I don't need, plus the nose spray that could be a money maker if we had the $4/1, but of course we only got the $2/1. So I'll just do it when I get to my mom's tomorrow.

Of course as days go....nothing went as planned. Austin called and needed his jersey brought to school for pictures (again). So I told him to give me a few and I would be there. So in a rush to make my getting dressed worth while I threw together a quick shopping list.

First stop was the school. I was shocked when I dropped the clothes off with Austin that I got a kiss on my cheek & a "Love ya Mom" from my 14 year old. It's been a while since I have got a PDA from my son. Especially since we were in the hall of the school. That made my day right there.

Second stop was the bank. I deposited another $35.39 worth of rebate checks.

Third stop was Walgreens. I was VERY surprised to find the clearance gum. It was marked as $0.90 each, with the $1/2 coupon in the Walgreens monthly book. That would make them $0.40 each. Not a bad deal for gum. But when they rang up they were only .32 each. So with the coupon it took the entire total of all 6 packs off. WOO HOO!! Free gum. Do you know how quick teenage boys go thru gum? LOL!! Here is what I got.

2 boxes of nasal spray @9.98

1 tube of Colgate @ 3.99

6 packs of Eclipse Gum @ 1.92

Total $15.89-$5RR-$4(2 Nasal Spray $2/1)-$1 (Colgate $1/1)-$1.92(Walgreens $1/2)

Total OOP was $4.24 after tax

Got back $5RR & $4RR

Basically $0.24 for all of the above. Goes to show you that anytime things are Free after RR and you have a coupon to make it a money maker it is worth the trouble of getting it even if you don't need it. The overage from the coupon helped pay for the nasal spray which I did want.

Fourth and final stop was HT. A friend called me yesterday to tell me the local FL had the BOGO coupons for Kraft cheese which was on sale at HT for BOGO this week. This makes for FREE cheese (YMMV). I took my change and headed there. I feel bad going in there and just paying tax for something and purchasing nothing else. So I scanned the flyer when we walked in. Here is a list of what I got.

8 bags of shredded cheese (Free After Coupon & Sale)

3 bags of mission tortillas (FAC & Sale)

3 boxes of Barilla Pasta (FAC & Sale)

2.6 lbs of Shrimp (on sale and I have a rebate for $6 on $10 seafood purchase)

Total $62.92

After sales & coupons $13.28 plus I used $4 OYNO. So OOP I paid $9.28 after tax and I have a $6 rebate to submit. Pretty good $62.92 worth of food for $3.28.

Baseball is boring sometimes.....

Ever wonder what the kids do while their brother is playing ball. Well Nicholas plays with his friends. They all had older brothers playing in the game. But they ALL could care less. How loving are they?

Ashlee takes pictures of random objects. She doesn't are if it is a picture of grass, she just like to take the pictures.

Hayden is either following Nicholas around trying to play games with him, or crying because Ashlee will not let him take pictures with the camera. LOL!!!

I choose a few pictures to explain this all to you. Enjoy!!!

Great day!!

Today started out great with a small Harris Teeter run. I didn't get a pic of the haul but here is what I got.

2- packs of Trident Layers Gum

1- box of Kashi Cereal

4- Bags of No Yolk Egg Noodles

4- Bags of Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies

Total Value $26.70

Total Saved $23.08

OOP was $3.62 after tax Savings of 86%

This afternoon Nicholas brought in the mail and the above picture was what I found. A full bottle of Pantene's newest shampoo, along with three $2/1 coupons. Is that not a cool package it came in? You take the top off and the sides fall away like petals of a flower. I know it's little things that make me happy. I also got both of the Coors Rebates in today($10 & $7.50). No I do not drink Coors, but Pepsico is associated with them & they were offering a rebate for the purchase of 12 packs of Pepsico products back in January. David then came home with his rebates. So total rebates received in the mail today was $35. Pretty good haul. So as of today I have received all of my rebates from January. Total rebates received ........ $183.70. Woo Hoo!!!!

Then we went to Austin's first baseball game of the year. Cape Fear VS Burgaw.....final score was 11-1. That is a great way to start the season. Austin scored 2 runs and had a RBI. He was excited. We celebrated by taking the family out to eat at Wendy's. It was a good night.

Staples

Anyone else a Staples reward member? If you are not, run out and join right now.I joined back in January. I promise you it will be worth your time and effort.

One of the things David & I discovered, when we set down to look at where our monies were going, was that we had a huge spike in the budget at the beginning of the school year. We all dread the back to school shopping and those list the teachers pass out with what they feel is a years worth of supplies. Last year we trudged to Kmart with the back to school sales flyer, list from the school website, and 4 children in tow. When we left we had spent $200 on school supplies. UGH!! Really $200?? Come on!!

On of my goals in couponing is to try to save at least something in every shopping trip. Well I have yet to see a coupon for paper, & pencils. So whats a girl to do? Well I started looking at different blogs to get money saving ideas. I ran across a blog that listed a Staples Dollar Days Sales Flyer. Dollar Days? Well that sounded promising. I went to my sales flyers for the week and pulled out my Staples flyer. Well some of the dollar items were things that were on my children's list EVERY year. I thought great, I can dollar shop during the year and stockpile what I can under my bed until school starts. But something even better on the front page drew my attention. FREE AFTER REBATE. Anyone else know this term? LOL!! Sitting on the front page was FAR binders, and pens. Well that is a good way to start a stock pile, free stuff. So I loaded my cart with dollar items and anything FAR I thought my kids might need. I ended up spending $58.64 OOP. Out of this $58.64 I have since gotten back $33.45 worth of rebates. I thought that was a great deal $70.93 worth of products for $25.19 after rebates. That is a 65% savings.

I thought to myself this could not get any better, I now have a nice stockpile of things for my kids list and I feel I had accomplished a great thing by finding a way to make another thing in my life cheaper. Then I went to my mailbox this week and was blown away by what I found. By using my staples reward card I accumulated a $15.50 gift card on my purchases from January. WHAT?? More free stuff? Are you kidding me. WOO HOO!!

So I loaded up the babies and headed out to Staples. I walked in and went straight to the customer service desk. I explained to the girl that I had sign up for the rewards card back in January just to be able to do the FAR items and didn't realize that I would be getting a gift card for my purchases. I wanted to know what the stipulations were because I had obviously not read the welcome pack that came with the reward card. She laughed and said it happens all the time. She explained that I could use it to purchase ANYTHING except gift cards. I thanked her and went to find the latest sales flyer. When I got it I was happy to find it was dollar days AGAIN. SCORE!!

So I purchased :

2 packs of dry erase makers (teachers always need these)

1 pencil pouch (these are always lost sometime in the year)

1 mini notebook (I wanted this to TRY to start a price book)

1 pack of 24 gel pens

3 packs of 5-tab insertables (Somebody always needs these)

2 mini dry erase boards (For Ashlee & Hayden)

Product price before sales and GC: $30.35

Total OOP was $0.29 after tax (99% savings)

So as you can see this was an even better idea than I first thought. So keep an eye out for dollar day, stock up through out the year on FAR items, and enjoy the bonus rewards. I know I will. And as you can see Ashlee & Hayden are already enjoying their FREE rewards.

CVS, Rite Aid, & Harris Teeter

Well I am not normally a Rite Aid shopper. I got out of the habit last year. But I just might get back in now. I started my day with a trip to CVS.

Cvs Trip:

2 Oral-B tooth brushes

1- Nivea Lip Care

1- Bottle of Excedrin (not pictured)

Used $6.99 in coupons & $7.00 in ECB's. Total OOP was $3.77 after tax, plus received $10.99 back in ECB's. That makes it a Profit of .22 even after tax. WOO HOO. Good trip.

Second stop was Rite Aid. This I broke into 2 transactions to be able to use both a $5/25 & a $3/$15 coupon.

First transaction was :

2 cover Girl Eyeshadow Blends

1 pack of Diapers

Used 15.49 in coupons. Total OOP $4.03 after tax.

Second transaction was:

2 Cover girl Mascaras

2 Cadbury Eggs (the kids needed something by now)

1 Gillette Shaving Gel

1 Gillette Body Wash

Used $16.98 in coupons. Total OOP $3.77 after tax

On to Harris Teeter:

2 More transactions:

5 boxes of Fruit Loops

5 Boxes of Apple Jacks

4 bags of Chex Mix

6 bags of No Yolk

Total OOP was 16.41 plus I got $8 back in OYNO coupons. That makes it $8.41 for all of that.

I thought this was a great deal until I got home and looked at my receipts. I realized I used 3 of the .70/1 coupons on the Apple Jacks that did not double because they started with a "9". Lost $2.10 on that deal. Then I realized that I should have gotten only 3 bags of No Yolks. Because they were BOGO I automatically grabbed 6 by mistake. Instead of being free I paid .40 per bag. So another loss of $2.25. This just goes to show that everybody makes mistakes, it is hard to shop with a 4 & 2 year old hyped up on Cadbury Eggs,you should not do deals while hopped up on cold meds, & last but not least....the deal was still good but it could have been better. There is always next time. So get out there girls and make some good buys. Happy shopping!!!

Better late than never...

I went shopping on Saturday. But in the middle of the shopping trip my loving husband called and needed me to stop what I was doing and help him out. I was glad to help out (yeah right, I was pissed!!) But I drove for 3 hours to take a tool to him that he needed. I also, while trying to help him out, almost got arrested for breaking & entering .....but that is a story for another day. LOL!!! So I didn't accomplish a lot. But I was able to snag a few things for free.

Walgreen's had their "Cool Alert" Pull Up's on clearance for $3.19. I had $1.50 off each coupons to go with the sale, and they printed a $5 RR when I purchased all 3. So $9.57- $4.50 (coupons)- $5 RR = .07 for 3 packs of pulls ups. I have never scored a deal this good.

I also had more Walgreen's RR's that were expiring on Sunday/Monday so I used them to purchase 4 bottles of the Renpure shampoo that was "Try Me Free" with rebate. So 4 free bottles of Shampoo with a rebate on 2, and two were free because of the BOGO sale.

Target was an okay trip. I got frustrated looking for things and finally gave up looking. But before I called it quits I found the Gillette Body Wash (8 oz) that was priced at $1.99. So FREE after $4/2 coupon that only excludes trial size. The cashiers HATE having to adjust the coupon down to $3.98 so that I get them free, but they will get reimbursed for the entire $4, so STOP complaining about this coupon. It ROCKS!!! I now have 16 bottles of Body Wash for FREE!! My boys should be set for a while.

So here is my pic of what I scored for $.07 plus tax on Saturday. One pack of Pull Up's is missing because I used them to stock the stash at Grandma Pat's house.

Feb Totals

I know I have told some of you that I have decided to keep track of my savings this year. The first month I struggled a little with keeping up with all of my receipts. So this month I had a policy of putting all receipts back in my wallet & posted them all after I got home on a daily basis. It was really not that hard once I got use to it. So here are my totals for Feb.

Product cost: $1366.08
Coupons used: $603.03
Store Sales: $268.53
Total savings was $871.56

Total OOP was $494.52 that is a 63.80% savings for the month

If you want to take that even one step more I also have $60.63 worth of rebates due for the month so that would bring my OOP down to $433.89 and a 68.24% savings. Is it worth the time I put into it? YEP sure is.

Today's whirl wind trip

I REALLY didn't want to go shopping today. I just really feel run down for some reason. But I had a $10RR that expired today so I HAD to go spend it on something. I dug out the sales paper, booted up my Internet & started looking for something to buy with my $10. Well after some research I decided there was only one thing at CVS I wanted this week. That was the free (after coupon) Softsoap body wash. YES I know I have over 10 bottles of girl body wash, but it was FREE!!!! I had to go to Walgreens because I had the $10RR so I just spent it on Pull Up's and Wipes. Since I was headed to Walgreens I wanted to make my trip worth while so...what to buy....what to buy? How about FREE laundry detergent. They have the Purex bottles BOGO this week & I had 4 BOGO coupons. I went to the 1st Walgreens and bought (for just tax) 4 bottles. I hate taking every bottle on the shelf so I decided to make a trip to a 2nd Walgreens so that I did not clear the self. When I got to the checkout the detergent did not ring up BOGO. Well after 5 minutes of waiting for the salesclerk to go back and check the tag, then call the manager, and then key them in correctly I got my 4 bottles free. When I get to the 2nd Walgreens I noticed the bottles looked different than the first 4 I got. When I checked out they rang up correctly.....why you may ask. Well when I got back in the car I realized the first 4 bottles were the bonus bottles with 44% more in the bottle. SCORE!!! They were not suppose to be BOGO, but the manager gave them to me BOGO anyway.

After this great deal my spirits were up & I decided to make a trek to Target because I had some things that have been listed as a good price with price drops lately & I just have not had a chance to get back there for a while. So off to Target we went with the promise of popcorn (side note the popcorn machine is still BROKEN UGH!!) & a drink to Ashlee & Hayden for being so good while Mommy went in search of the bargains that had to be hunted. Have you noticed that Target is more hard to shop than any other store. They hide things in strange places. I really wanted the Gillette body wash that was free with the $4 off 2 coupon. I looked the aisle for like 10 minutes for these stupid things. Couldn't find them so I gave up & went to look for the free mascara. As I round the corner for the makeup I see the display for the body wash. Why is it in the makeup aisle???Oh well I scored 6 free body washes. Ashlee saw the big display of flip flops while we were looking at clearance items. Since they were only $2.50 each I splurged and got both of them a pair. Considering I spent under $12 at Target & 5 of that was shoes, I was okay with it.

So here are my totals for today's shopping: 1 CVS trip, 2 Walgreens trip, & Target.

8- bottles laundry soap
6- bottles Mens body wash
6- card games (for stocking stuffer or last minute b-day gifts)
1- tube of mascara
2- pairs of flip flops
2 - 4 pack of mens soap w/ free travel body wash
1- softsoap body wash
2- packs of pull ups
1-Wipes refills
2- Candy bars (not pictured :-))
1- box of oatmeal (not pictured/ donated to food pantry @ Walgreens)

Total Cost of products:

$150.24 Shelf Cost
-$89.27 Coupons
-$31.46 Sales

OOP Cost was $24.51

Now keep in mind some people do not include tax in their OOP cost. I do because lets face it tax HAS to be paid, so I think it should be included. Out of the $24.51 I spent today, $8.68 of it was tax. So all in all it was a good days trip that was definitely worth me getting out of the house today.