Weekly and Monthly totals ending July 31, 2010

Grocery:
Purina One cat food(7lbs)
Chef Boyardee ravioli, etc x8
GardeIn "chicken tenders"
GardeIn "beefless tips" (can't help it, I still love vegetarian food)
Mars candy bars variety pack 25ct (yes that's 25 candy bars!)
Publix hotdog buns
Thomas english muffins x2
Publix eggs
Berio olive oil
Knorr rice sides x2
Publix mandarin oranges x2
Publix raisins 6 pack
Sunmaid raisins 6 pack
Kellogs poptarts x6
Spent: $28.31
Saved: $57.29

Drugstore:
Pampers diapers 82ct x2
Kotex U
Biotrue saline solution x2
Spent: $9.99 Saved: $48.96

Total spent: $38.30
Total saved: $106.25

July totals:
Spent:$191.49
Saved: $533.38

So far so good on my goal of $50 a week including diapers and drugstore spending.

~All thanks to God!~

Weekly totals ending 7/23/10

Grocery:
Cottonelle toilet paper
Lysol cleaner x4
Spray and Wash
Smart Balance milk x5
Idaho potatoes x3
Canned tomatoes x2
Philadelphia cream cheese x5
Chef Boyardee (ravioli etc) x8
bananas
Campbells Spaghettios x12
Lean Cuisine x13
Tombstone pizza x4
Kraft shredded cheese x6
Kroger mushrooms
Dixie paper plates x2
Dole orange/pineapple juice
OreIda tator tots
Gatorade x9
Act II popcorn(large box) x2
Kroger milk
Luvs diapers Mega pack(52ct)
Total spent: 62.18
Total saved: 133.14 (68%)

Drugstore:
Celsius green tea
M&M(single pack) x2
Huggies diapers (31ct)
Schick Quatro razor(love this thing!)
Total spent: 3.49
Total saved: 30.26

~All thanks to God!~

Hey lady...THAT'S FIVE DOLLARS!

So today, I was behind a lady in Kroger with a buggy full of groceries and her bill was $162. Her buggy was not overflowing, but was full. I saw that the cashier was kind enough to hand her a "$5 off your next order" catalina coupon. What a nice cashier! The woman took the coupon, shoved it in her purse, paid her outrageous $162 grocery bill and walked away. I asked the cashier, "did that woman just walk away with a coupon you gave her, and didn't use it?" She said "Yes! And it was for $5!" She told me that people use the self checkouts and walk away and leave the catalina coupons behind, all the time! I told her that hurt me. I was actually torn between crying and throwing up. I guess I don't understand people who won't even try to use a coupon. Don't they understand it is free money? It is actually another form of currency! I walked through the parking lot shaking my head, thinking...do you have any idea how far I could have stretched that five dollars?!!!
BTW...I used 2 catalinas and other coupons on my second order and got 8 gatorades, 2 tombstone pizzas, and a pack of 52 diapers for $6. Yeah, I could have stretched that five bucks way out!

Weekly totals (week ending 7/16/10)

Late posting. Had out of town company this weekend! I did a stock up on chicken, gatorades, deodorant and toilet paper. I was even able to buy some fresh fruit. Lots of goodies found this week! Here's the totals.

Grocery:
Lindsay black olives x2
Hershey syrup x6
Lenders bagels
Olive oil
Fiber One poptarts x3
Bayer aspirin x2
Kellogs Fiber plus cereal x2
Contessa frozen meals in a bag x3
Green Giant frozen corn
Green Giant frozen rice
Kraft Homestyle mac&cheese in a bag (new product!)
ElMonterey Tornados x4
32oz Gatorades x30
Boneless skinless chicken breast 8lbs
12 pack Cottonelle toilet paper
Simply potatoes x2
Whitehouse applejuice
Publix fruit cocktail
Bic Soleil razor 4pk x3
Pampers wipes x3
Green grapes 1lb
Strawberries
Nectarines x5
Pepperoni
2ltr Sprite Zero
Coffee creamer

Spent: $66.69
minus $10 Kraft foods rebate received this week = $56.69
Saved: $147.93 (72%)


Drugstore:
(For a photo click here)
12 pack Cottonelle toilet paper
Complete contact lens solution
Suave deodorant x5
Suave shampoo x2
Suave body wash
John Frieda shampoo
John Frieda hair gel
pencil (Walgreens filler item)
Papermate pens

Order subtotals: $36.61
Minus coupons/RRs/EBs: -$35.79
New total spent: $0.82
Total drugstore savings (incl sales) $46.80

Grand totals:
Spent $57.51
Saved $194.73 (77%)
Still have the $12.49 over budget from last week!

~All thanks to God!~

Drugstore Show and Tell

What's more inspiring than to actually see the savings, right? Well, here is a photo show and tell that I hope inspires you to learn how to get out there and take advantage of all the great drugstore deals!

Today at Walgreens and CVS I got the following:

12 pack Cottonelle toilet paper
Complete contact lens solution
Suave deodorant x5
Suave shampoo x2
Suave body wash
John Frieda shampoo
John Frieda hair gel
pencil (Walgreens filler item)
Papermate pens

Order subtotals: $36.61
Minus coupons/RRs/EBs: -$35.79
New total: $0.82
Plus tax: $2.41
Total cash amount I paid = $3.23

And I still have $12 in CVS Extra Bucks to use next week!

~All thanks to God!~

Weekly totals July 9

It's Thursday night. But I don't plan on doing any shopping tomorrow. So, I wanted to go ahead and post my totals while I had a chance. If I shop tomorrow, I will come back and edit the list and totals.
I came in under budget this week. Which means I have $20 extra to go over budget on another week this month, if I need it.
No drugstore deals this week. Just Publix. Not a huge list of items here. Not the best sales week ever. But I'm always stocking my pile!

Here is what I bought:
Publix sourdough bread
Publix Italian bread
Kraft sliced cheese x2 packs (sliced cheese freezes great!)
Curly's BBQ chicken
Mojo sauce
Edy's ice cream x2
Carvel ice cream cake
Publix honey wheat bread x2 loaves (remember bread freezes too)
Kraft sandwich shop mayo x3 bottles
Oreo multi pack
Nutter Butter multi pack
Fig newton multi pack
Teddy Grahams multi pack
(the multi packs are normally $6 each!!)
Simply potatoes x2 bags (can't wait to try these)
Digornio deep dish pizza(single serving)
Mussleman applesauce
Publix fruit cocktail
Ziploc small storage bags
Ziploc large freezer bags
Bumble Bee Tuna x4 cans
Disney Handy Manny children's book
Disney Winnie Pooh children's book
Total spent: $30
Total saved $69 (70%)

CVS has some really good deals coming up next week. So, I am glad to have $20 extra to play around at the drugstores with!

~All thanks to God!~

Weekly and year to date Totals

I am back to tracking my spending! So far this year, from January to the end of March my totals were:
Grocery spending, $728 saved $1157 That averages to spending $60 a week. (I know I can do better now!!!)
Drugstore spending, $128 saved $559 Yes, can definitely do way better than that these days!

Unfortunately I did not track from April through June. But, I will be reporting in each week, for the rest of the year.

This week's groceries:
I won't list my items every week. But just for a little inspiration and for the newbies, this is everything I bought with the totals at the bottom...

Purina One cat food (7lb bag)
Kraft dressing x2 bottles
Kraft cheese singles x2 packs
Publix Italian bread
Publix sourdough bread
Mueller macaroni x2 boxes
Betty Crocker potatoes x2 boxes
Muir Glenn tomato sauce
Visine x6 bottles
French's mustard
All laundry detergent x2 bottles
Morningstar Farms veggie sausage x5 boxes (normally this is $4 a box!)
Reynolds tinfoil 35 sq ft x2 rolls
Gatorade 64oz
Lysol wipes x2 bottles
Sundown vitamin D x2 bottles
Thomas english muffins x3 packs
18 pack of eggs
2 ltr Cokes(assorted) x12 bottles
Gatorade 32oz x15 bottles
Kroger shredded cheddar x2 bags
Kraft mac&cheese x5 boxes
CapriSun juice
Kraft 100 calorie cheese bites
Suave shampoo x2 bottles
Kroger frozen biscuits

Total spent: $48.27
Total saved $137
Giving me a 74% savings.

Drugstore spending: $0(only paid .37 in tax) and saved $16.55. That was a CVS trip that included 8 rolls Bounty paper towels, laundry detergent and 6 individual bags of M&Ms.

~All thanks to God!~
Blessings are meant to be shared.

I still mess up! You can learn from my mistake.

Written in my very best, ticked off, southern drawl...
So, CVS has a B1G1 deal on M&M's. I have a B1 any flavor M&M, G1 pretzel M&M coupon. In the drugstore world, that makes for 2 free bags of M&Ms. I also had a Bounty paper towel deal going on that I needed to spend about $1 on something in the store to take care of a negative balance. So, I figured I would get my 2 bags of free M&Ms and then buy 2 more bags of M&Ms at the price of one. Ricky loved the peanut butter ones, so I thought I would treat him with his favorites. I should have paid .89 for 4 bags of M&Ms and 8 rolls of paper towels. Well, in the store, I also threw in some .50 laundry detergent, so I knew my balance would be a little different than I had originally figured. But when my balance due was 3.60, I knew something was OFF! When I got to my truck, I looked at the receipt and realized that the 2 bags of peanut butter M&Ms, not only, did not ring up B1G1....they cost 1.69 EACH! Excuuuuuuse me!? $3.38 for 2 little bags of M&Ms??? I think not! Do you have any idea...just how much I can buy for 3.38?? If you know me at all, you know I can stretch 3.38 way way way out. Way further out than 2 stinking little bags of M&Ms. Hmmph. I will be returning them after work for a refund. Laugh at me if you must. But in my world, every little bit counts. Even $3.38!

My mistake: not paying attention to how much an item rings up for. Learn from my mistake and always pay close attention at checkout!

New challenge!

I challenged myself in January to keep track of what I spent on groceries and at drugstores. My allotted budget was $50 a week for groceries, not including diapers or drugstore items(toiletries, makeup, etc). Well, I did pretty well for the first 3 months staying for the most part on budget. And then life got crazy busy and I stopped entering the numbers into my spreadsheets. So, for the last 3 months, I have only budgeted in my head. I am pretty sure I stayed on track. But I like to see the numbers. So, I have a new challenge for myself starting in July. I will start tracking what I save and what I spend again. My budget will still be $50 a week. But it will now include diapers and drugstore items. Over the last few months, I have really learned how to take advantage of all the free items at CVS and Walgreens! I am confident that with God's help, I can do this.
If anyone does not have the excel spreadsheet grocery tracker and would like me to email it to you, let me know.

~All thanks to God~

Pantry staples stock up list

Sometimes I think I should change the name of my blog to I Heart Southern Savers! Jenny over at SS has another great blog up that I don't want you guys to miss. It is called Getting your pantry stocked on staple items. She has links to her buy price list for staple items that most recipes call for as well as a blank buy price inventory list that you can enter your own buy prices in. Since prices are regional, your buy price might differ from hers. I noticed right off that my olive oil buy price is $3 and hers is $3.99 and my mayo buy price is $2 where hers is $1. So, fill in your own blanks and stock up those pantry staples at the lowest price before you run out, so that you never have to "run to the store" for anything!

~All thanks to God~

CVS coupon order

CVS has by far, the best employees that are the most coupon friendly of any store around! Andrea at my CVS helped me out this morning with my coupons and she taught me something new. Imagine that, a cashier teaching a customer a coupon trick. ONLY at CVS would that happen! Here was my deal:
Ban deodorant 2.99 with 2 ECB back. I also had a $1/1 coupon. I decided to get 2 of the deodorants even though I would only get the ECB back on one(it was limit 1). I knew after the $4ECB and two of the $1/1 coupons, my order total would be -.02. I always try to at lease owe a little bit of money and not have a negative balance and I was not sure how that would go over in the system. Andrea told me that if I used my ECB first, and the coupons last, the coupons would overlap(pay some towards) on the tax, where as the ECBs would not. So, for future reference, at CVS, if you are going to have a negative balance on your order, use the ECB first and the manufacturer coupons last.
Here is what my receipt looked like:
So, I ended up using $4ECB and paying .40 and getting back $2ECB for 2 ban deodorants. Thank you for your help, Andrea!

~All Thanks to God!~

New month, New coupons!

It's the beginning of the month! Which means most coupons have reset, and new coupons have been added on coupons.com, redplum.com and smartsource.com. This does not mean you need to go on there and print out every single coupon on the site. But, it's not a bad idea to go on and see what you think you might want to grab before the print limits are reached. Remember, there are 2 types of print limits. There is a limit of how many times you can print a coupon per computer. And there is a limited number of coupons the manufacturer will release to be printed. So, if it is a high value coupon that everyone wants, you will want to print it out before the manufacturer limit is reached!
I went on this morning and grabbed the following coupons that I know or think I will use...

From Coupons.com:
$.50/1 green giant valley fresh steamers (I can never have enough of these in my freezer!!)
$1/2 nabisco multi-pack products (Publix has these BOGO fairly often and they are perfect for the hubby's lunches or for little one's snacks)
$1/1 muir glen any product (this makes the smaller cans of tomato paste free or almost free and will reach the manuf print limit fast!)
$1/1 cascadian farm product
$1/1 green giant create a meal stir fry (will go good with a sale)
$1/2 taco bell home originals (hello, tacos!)
$.50/2 green giant frozen boxed veggies

From Redplum.com:
$1/1 filippo berio olive oil (because we go through olive oil, like water in my house ! And publix routinely puts this on BOGO making it just a couple bucks a bottle with the coupon.)
$.40/1 welch's fruit snacks (remember that most stores will double less than .50, making this really an .80 coupon unless you live in florida, sorry floridians)

From Smartsource.com:
$1/1 pompeian olive oil (told you we use lots of olive oil and I don't care what brand it is)
$1/1 fisher product (cheap nuts!)
$1/1 kikkoman teriyaki sauce

There you go, those are my personal favorite coupons for the month! There are lots of cereal and yogurt coupons on the sites as well that I did not need, but you might. So, go see what your personal favorites are. I am sure there will be many more added throughout the month. So, be sure to watch my favorite sites like Southern Savers and A few shortcuts for all the new deals coming up this month.
Happy printing!

~All thanks to God~

My first Depends purchase!

Well, I did it. I practice what I preach. And I've preached to my readers that you always buy items that give you overage, no matter what the item is. This week, CVS had Depends undergarments for 6.99 with 6.99 ECBs back. I had a $2/1 coupon which made it 4.99, with 6.99 back. It is equivalent to handing CVS $5 for a $7 gift card to use in their store! I will add the depends to my "charity" stockpile. CVS made a sale, I made $2, and someone else will appreciate getting them for free. It's a win/win/win :)
Here is a rundown of my CVS order:
1 Aquafresh toothpaste 2.49
2 Aquafresh Isoactive toothpase @ 3.99each =7.98
3 bags of M&Ms @ 3.00 each = 9.00
4 Nivea body wash @ 4.88 each = 19.52
1 Depends pack 6.99
Subtotal: $45.98

Coupons used: -$37.88
$2/2 any bodywash CVS store coupon
$3/2 M&Ms CVS store coupon
$5/$40 purchase CVS store coupon
$2/1 Depends
B2G1 M&Ms (-3.00)
(2) $4/1 Nivea
B1G1 Nivea(-4.88)
$10 Extra Care Bucks from last week

Total OOP: $8.10

Got back :
6.99 Depends
5.00 Aquafresh
5.00 Nivea
$16.99 Extra Care Bucks to use next time!

~All thanks to God~

Always scan your CVS card...and repeat!

I found a new CVS trick yesterday! At least it was new to me :) I went to the store to do the Nivea deal and of course, I scanned my card as soon as I went in. I shopped around and about 10 minutes later, I went back and scanned my card again. Voila! More coupons came out! I even got a $2/2 (any) body wash or soap coupon. I'm already buying body wash, so...Sweet! I probably should have scanned it one more time...but I was happy with my deals, so I didn't push my luck. Next time I will keep scanning it until it tells me, "Game over lady, please leave the store."


All in all, I spent $8.61 and got back $16.99 in ECBs(Extra Care Bucks) for my next shopping trip.

(Isn't that a cool CVS sign?)

~All thanks to God~

Today's confession...saving other people's money

Yeah, that's right, I saved my boss $197.74 today on office supplies! A couple of months ago, I stocked up on our ink cartridges and earned 10% back on the Staples brand ink(or was it 20%?). I also had a $25/$75 coupon for cleaning supplies and a coupon for a free $35 trunk organizer.

After my staples rewards money and the 2 coupons, I was able to get:
3 2pack Correction pens(white out)
2 cases of copy paper
4 large cans Folgers coffee
10/pack Kleenex
4 Windex spray
1 case Bounty paper towels(12 rolls)
1 color coding labels
1 trunk organizer (maybe I can talk him into letting me keep this one...I could use it!)

Total: $4.59

I am so addicted to saving money right now, I even save other people's money! And that is my confession for the day.

So much to blog, so little time.

Well, I guess I am not doing to well with the Fess Up Monday blogs, am I? It seems like my life that was already busy has gotten kicked in to an even higher gear lately! I love to blog. But unfortunately, I am a full time working mother. Which does not leave much spare time to sit in front of a computer and write like I would love to. So, that means my blogs are sporadic depending on the blurbs of free time I might have come up. I wish I could be your one stop source on all things coupon! But, time limits me. I noticed today that I lost a reader. And I don't blame them. I cannot promise multiple blogs a day or even a blog every day. I certainly cannot post every hot deal or sale. But at any rate, I do hope that you will continue to follow me when I am able to be on here. I am always happy to help another couponer in any way I can! My only goal is that I can inspire you to save by seeing what I have been saving. If I can point you in the right direction and help you change your shopping habits for the better, I have accomplished what I set out to do.
So, having said all that, do you have anything you want to share? I'll go first. I had not been on a large grocery shopping trip for about the last 3 weeks. So, it was not a fantastic shopping trip this week. But I did manage to save more than I spent. I spent $49.43 and I saved $78.04 . $25.15 of that was coupons. The rest was in sales. So, you can see, it's not just coupons that saves you money. The key really is knowing when to shop and when to use those coupons!

Happy Saving!
~All thanks to God~

A small Walgreens trip

Here's what I did at Walgreens today....

Transaction #1
Kotex tampons $3.49 (sorry guy readers!)
-$1 coupon
4 bags Hershey's kisses .62 each (75% off Easter candy) $2.48
Used $2 RR(Register Rewards) that I already had
Total due: 2.97
Got back $2.50 RR

Transaction #2
Schick shave gel $2.99
Used $2.50 RR I got from the Kotex
Total due: $.49
Got back $3 RR

Total OOP(out of pocket) $3.46
Got back $3 Register Rewards

I bought the 4 bags of hershey's kisses thinking that I was going to get a free movie ticket using this rebate. But....it was the wrong size bag of candy!! Darn it! I so miss going to the movies... Oh well, it's still cheap candy. And they will make great party favors for Waylon's birthday party next month. A cup of hershey kisses and thanks for coming to the party. I know, I know, birthday party mom, I am just not. :( I am trying....
Not one of my greatest shopping trips. Just a little bit of savings inspiration for ya :0)

Long awaited new sale at Publix finally starts tomorrow!

I don't know about you, but I have been chomping at the bit for the new Publix sale to start! This has been the longest Publix sale everrrrrrrrr. Well, we can finally go stock up on some new items starting tomorrow(4/15)! Southern Savers has her ad listed here. Or if you prefer, I Heart Publix has the ad listed here with super deals listed here. I always check both sites for some reason. They have the same things posted, but in different ways. I like to print my shopping list from Southern Savers because I can click on the items I need as I scroll down the ad. Then at the bottom, she gives the option to "create a printable shopping list" from the items you've checked. I just love that feature! I print, then fold it in half and stuff my coupons inside the list with a paper clip on the outside. As I put the items in my buggy, I pull out those coupons out and put them in the paper clip(or you can put them in a ziploc baggie). It makes it really easy for check out!
Happy shopping!

New Publix booklet

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I came home from NC, to find that I Heart Publix had posted a new coupon booklet found in the stores. It's called There's Value in Family. Go HERE to see a list of all the coupons in the booklet.

Fess Up Monday

So, how did you do in your shopping last week? It's time to 'Fess Up and tell us how much you saved!
I am sorry I don't have any spectacular savings to report this week. I did not see any items I needed to stock up on. So, I used it as a meat stock up week. I bought a bunch of hamburger and chicken and filled my already packed freezer. It would be nice to see more coupons for meat. And every once in a while there are Perdue chicken coupons and I've even seen coupons for ground beef. But they are few and far between. So I just try to buy meat at the lowest sale price. I buy boneless skinless chicken breasts if it is under $2 a lb. And I try to get ground round/chuck for under $2 a lb also. Those are my "buy now" prices for meat.
I am having trouble getting on the Mr. Linky site this morning. So, just paste a copy of your blog into the comment section or leave your totals as a comment.

Time to 'Fess Up!

Some great Walgreens starter transactions

I stumbled on a blog at Couponing101 with some easy Walgreens starter transactions and thought I would pass it along to you! This can be done even if you don't have any coupons and will allow you to get some Register Rewards to have for future Walgreens sales. Here's the blog!
Feel free to ask me any questions. Drugstore transactions can be tricky and confusing. Believe me, I am still learning how to do the drugstore deals myself!
It is a great week at Walgreens full of deals and a great week to dip your toe in the drugstore waters!

Catalina....not just for salads!

Think Catalina is just a kind of dressing for salads? Well, think again! In the coupon world, a "Catalina" is a coupon that prints out at the end of your grocery order in some grocery stores(like Kroger). And our good friend Jenny at Southern Savers has created a new page on her website dedicated to listing all the catalina deals. If you have a Kroger(or other store with a catalina machine) near you this page will help you find all the great catalina deals!

~All Thanks to God~

New Publix coupon booklet

Southern Savers is reporting that there is a new Publix coupon booklet found in the store! It's called Personal Concierge. Go here to see what is inside. I hope to find it in my store soon....

Random tips

Coupon Doubling
If you have a store that doubles coupons, make that your new favorite store! Generally, if a store doubles coupons, it will only be for coupons that are .50 or less. Sometimes stores like Food Lion, Ingles(?) and K-Mart will randomly run sales where they will double or triple coupons up to .99. So, be sure to watch out for those sales and take advantage of them, if you are able.

Stockpiling
In my opinion, stockpiling is essential to saving money with coupons. I don't mean bomb shelter stockpiles. I'm just talking about buying enough of a product to last you until that product goes on sale again. In the south, most sales run on a 6-8 week cycle. It just makes sense to buy 6 boxes of cereal for $1($6 total) than it does to buy a box each week for the next 6 weeks at $4 a box($24 total). You've saved $18 right there on just one product. Imagine what you can save if you do that with every product you buy. At the end of the year, the savings will be substantial!!!

Overage
This is my favorite part! Overage is when the amount of coupons you have exceeds the price of the item. The overage amount will then be deducted off of your total grocery bill. Let's say Pantene shampoo is on sale for $3. You have a store coupon for $2/1 and a MQ for $2/1. Use both of those coupons and you've got $1 overage! Most stores (like Kroger, Publix, CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart) will allow overage. Always be sure to check your store's coupon policy. There are a few icky store managers that will reduce the amount of your coupon to the price of the item. One specific Publix in my area will not allow overage. I was so glad I called first before setting out to shop at that store! Always always always buy any item that gives you overage. I do not care if it is overage on depends undergarments and you are 20 years old...you buy it. I don't care if you are a bald woman and it is men's hair color...you buy it. I don't care what the item is, or that you will never in a million years, ever use that product...you buy it! That is money off the total of your grocery bill! Take it! Donate it to a homeless shelter, nursing home, school, battered women's shelter, anywhere it will be used. But whatever you do, don't pass up free money sitting on the store shelf! I like to pretend that overage is a coupon for an item I don't have a coupon for. Like expensive cokes that I don't normally buy. Also, a store should never have to pay you to leave. Always find something to purchase with your overage. Even if it's a candy bar. We have a great system now where everybody wins. Let's not be greedy and mess that up :)

B1G1/BOGO
BOGO/B1G1 at a grocery store means that the item will ring up at half price. Even if you only buy one item, you still get that item for half price. And yes, you can use coupons for each item.
BOGO/B1G1 at a drugstore means that the first item will ring up at full price and the second item will ring up free. ALWAYS buy both items at a drugstore. Remember that you can use coupons for each item. Even for BOGO items. Also, if you have an item that is on sale BOGO, and you have a coupon that is B1G1, that makes the item free! The first item will ring up full price. The second item will ring up free. Scan the coupon and then the clerk will enter in the amount of the full price item to be taken off. You'll just have to pay the tax. If you have other coupons for that item, use them also to get overage!
Example:
Covergirl makeup B1G1 9.99
Buy 2 foundations 9.99
Use one, B1G1 coupon (makes them free)
Use one, $1/1 coupon
You will have $1 in overage

Which coupons to clip and carry with you
I love the insert system. But there is only one drawback. Clearance items. You'll never be so upset as to find your favorite shampoo on clearance for $2 and know that you have a $3 coupon for it...at home...in your uncut insert. This is where the binder system(where you clip every stinking coupon at once) would come in very handy. But, for me, I just don't have that kind of time. So, I have come up with a system that works for me. I keep my inserts whole. But I do clip coupons for items that I think I might run across on clearance somewhere. Items like makeup, hair color and shampoo are things that I find on clearance and closeout quite frequently(usually at drugstores). There are always new colors, fragrances and packaging for toiletries which constantly puts the "old colors, etc" on the clearance aisle. Making it a great deal for you if you have the coupons with you! (lots of overage possibilities!)

For more tips, click here.
For some really great short video tutorials click here.
I highly highly recommend watching the video tutorials. I have learned so much from Jenny at Southern Savers!

I hope I have explained everything in an easy to understand format. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I love to see other people saving lots of money and enjoying the thrill of it as much as I do!

~All Thanks to God!~

Free Kraft Cheese

Kroger's Mega event is extended this week! Which means when you buy 8 of the participating items, you get $4 off at the end of your bill. Kraft Cheese is included in this sale for .99. Publix has an in store dispenser for $2/2...making it free when you buy 8 bags of cheese and use 4 coupons!

Here's the ad match-up from Southern Savers:
Kraft Cheese 6-8 oz or Cheese Singles 12 oz at 99¢ ea
-$2/2 Kraft Shredded Cheese in-store dispenser (makes both FREE)
-$1/2 Kraft or Cracker Barrel Natural Cheese shreds or chunk in-store dispenser

The $1/2 coupon can be found at Kroger which makes it .50...still a great deal. But, if you have a Publix close by, free is even better!
I didn't want to post this deal until I was sure Publix still had the in store dispensers. So, I went at lunch and sure enough, my free cheese golden tickets were still there :)

Stockpile tip: Shredded or cubed cheese will freeze just great!

Happy Saving!

~All Thanks to God~

Fess Up Monday!

It’s time to make your confession. Just how much did you save and how much did you spend? If you have a blog about what you saved, and want to link to over to it link up using Mr. Linky.

If you didn’t blog about it, write your confession in the comment section. You can be as detailed or as simple about it as you want.

Here’s what I did at Kroger on Friday:

(Forgive the poor photo quality, my camera would not cooperate!)

That is:

15 Powerades,

3, 2 liter cokes,

gallon of milk

7 bags of Kraft cheese.

Order Total: $8.84

Total saved: $46.92

Your turn! Go ahead, don’t be shy…Fess Up!

Websites that I Heart

So, you know how to gather coupons and you can read and speak coupon lingo. Now what do you do? You search the weekly ads and coupon match ups for the items you need from my favorite websites!

My Top 4:

Southern Savers
She posts the weekly ads with coupon match ups each week for all the grocery stores in the South. She also has an option that allows you to print your grocery list from her weekly ad post. I print that list and then I fold the paper in half. Inside that paper is where I put all the coupons I plan to use for that shopping trip. When I put an item in my buggy, I pull out that coupon and either paper clip it to the front of the list, or put it in a ziploc baggie. That way, when I get to the register, all the coupons I need are all ready to hand to the cashier.
Honestly, the Southern Savers website will give you all the tools you need to be a successful couponer. All that I have taught you, has come from Jenny, the guru at Southern Savers. Jenny rocks!

I Heart Publix
If you have access to a Publix, that is my store of choice. IHP is a great site because she posts an early preview of the weekly ad on Monday! Publix runs their ads from Thursday to Wednesday(Wed to Tues in some areas). So, the early ad post gives me plenty of time to gather my coupons for the sale ahead of time. On Tuesdays, she will post what she calls Super Deals. I love the Super Deals! Be sure to check out her website if you shop Publix.

Hot Coupon World
I use HCW when I need a specific item and want to find out if there is a coupon out there for it. They have a coupon database that lets you search for coupons for specific items. Say you really need some Visine, but it's not listed in any of the weekly ads. That's when you go on the HCW coupon database and see if there are any coupons for it. Sometimes you will need things that are not on sale. Especially when you are just starting out using coupons and don't have your stockpile built up yet.

A Few Shortcuts
She doesn't do all the weekly ads or matchups. I think she just does a small highlight of the Publix ad each week. But this girl has some really great deals and coupons that she regularly posts. She also posts recipes that are budget friendly. I just really love her posts!

Other favorites are:
Couponers United
Money Saving Mom
Deal Seeking Mom
Saving Cents with Sense
Common Sense with Money

There is another big coupon website that lots of people use called CouponMom. Check it out and see if you like it. For some reason, it just did not click for me. But there are lots of people who swear by her methods. She also has a coupon database and the weekly ads listed by state. So, if you're not in the south, she might be a big help to you!

If you don't Facebook...you should! Facebook is my "go to" place for coupon deals. It is a great way to keep up with all these websites in one spot. They all have Facebook pages you can become fans of. Then, as they post deals, it shows up right away on my Facebook page. I'm also seeing more and more freebies and coupons found on Facebook lately! Hello, my name is Leigh Ann and I am a Facebook junkie....

If you have other websites that you love, please share them with the rest of us. I'm always hunting for the next great deal....

Next blog will be random tips...

~All Thanks to God~

Get ready to "Fess Up" on Monday!

I know a lot of you are newbies at this whole coupon thing. And I remember when I first started out how excited I got the first time I saw the huge savings at the bottom of my receipt. I wanted to share how much I saved with everyone! Heck, I still get excited and want to share my savings and inspire others to save too(that's what my blog is all about!). So, since my blog is called "Confessions of a Save-Aholic," I thought it would be fun on Mondays, to "confess" to each other just how much money we are saving! I will post a blog each Monday called "Fess Up Monday" where we can post how much we spent and how much we saved. If you have a blog and want to share pictures of what you bought, I will make it an option to link up your "confessional blog." Don't worry if your spouse thinks you are nuts for taking a picture of your groceries. Pretty soon, they'll be wanting to show off what you saved to everyone they know too! If you don't want to blog about it, you can simply write your savings confession in the comment section.
So, save your receipts from this week's shopping trip and get ready to "fess up" on Monday!

~All thanks to God~

New Publix store coupon booklet: One Stop One Store

I told you I would post whenever there are new store coupon booklets at Publix. Well, I Heart Publix is reporting that there has been a new booklet spotted called, One Stop One Store. It has store and manufacturer coupons in it.
Here is the link at I Heart Publix to see all the coupons in the booklet. Looks like it's full of household items. I hope this one will turn up at my store soon!

How to speak Coupon!

So, have you checked out any of the coupon websites I've mentioned like Southern Savers or I Heart Publix and felt like it was typed in a completely different language? Well, it kind of is. It's the language of coupons. Think of this blog as your Rosetta stone crash course in coupon lingo!

Southern Savers has a full list of coupon lingo HERE. And from that list, I would say these are the most important ones you should know:

B1G1, BOGO, B1G1F – “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” (another example B2G1 - Buy 2 Get 1 Free)
$/$$ - X Dollars off when you buy(wyb) XX amount of dollars
.50/1 - Fifty cents off one item (Another example would be: $1/2 - One dollar off of 2 items)
.50/3 - Fifty cents off 3 items
Blinkies - Coupon dispensed near product, in the store (usually from a “blinking” red box)
Catalina - Coupon dispensed at the register at the time of purchase (on separate paper)
Peelie - Coupon that you peel off the package
Tear Pad - Pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
IP - Internet Printable (a coupon you print off the internet)
MQ - Manufacturer coupon
MIR - Mail in Rebate
OOP - Out Of Pocket
PG - Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupons
RP - Red Plum Sunday insert coupons
SS - Smartsource Sunday insert coupons
GM - General Mills Sunday insert coupons
FLIP - Food Lion Internet Printable
WYB - When You Buy
ECB - Extra Care Buck (CVS)
RR - Register Rewards (these are the Catalinas that print out at Walgreens)
SCR- Single Check Rebate (rebate system at Rite Aid)


This is an actual example taken from Southern Savers for an item on sale this week at Publix. (Can you tell I am a huge Southern Savers and Publix fan yet?)

Gorton’s Grilled Fish 2ct $3 ea
-$1/2 Gorton’s Product Yellow Advantage Buy Flyer (store coupon)
-$1/2 Gorton’s Grilled Item SS 1/03, SS 2/21
-$1 off Gorton’s Grilled Item SS 1/03
-.55/1 Gorton’s Item SS 1/24
-.60/1 Gorton’s Item February All You Magazine
-.50/1 Gorton’s product printable (use with store coupon makes it $1.50 ea)

Let's break it down:
-$1/2 Gorton’s Product Yellow Advantage Buy Flyer (store coupon)
This one is a store coupon out of the Publix yellow advantage buy flyer, located at the front of the store.
-$1/2 Gorton’s Grilled Item SS 1/03, SS 2/21
This one is a coupon for $1 off when you purchase 2, and it can be found in the Jan 3 and the Feb 21 "SS" SmartSource inserts.
-$1 off Gorton’s Grilled Item SS 1/03
$1 coupon found in the Jan 3 Smartsource insert
-.55/1 Gorton’s Item SS 1/24
.55 coupon found in the Jan 24 Smartsource insert
-.60/1 Gorton’s Item February All You Magazine
.60 coupon found in the Feb. All You magazine (this is a GREAT magazine to subscribe to for the coupons!)
-.50/1 Gorton’s product printable
.50 coupon that you can print from the link she posted. (If your store doubles coupons .50 or under, this coupon will be $1)

Now, go test yourself on a website like Southern Savers or I Heart Publix and check out their weekly ads for your store. See how fluently you can speak coupon!

Any questions?

Gathering Coupons Part 3: Store coupons and how to stack them

So, we have our newspapers and we know how to print coupons from the Internet(hopefully on used paper with black ink if you are super frugal like me). Let's talk about store coupons and how to "stack" them. This is the fun part!

Did you know that you can use more than one coupon at a time? At most stores, you are allowed to use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon per item. I say at most because even though I have never encountered one, there might be a store out there who does not allow 2 coupons. It's always a good idea to check your store's coupon policy before you make your plan of attack rather than get shot down at the register. It doesn't take a minute to pick up the phone and call ahead to ask the manager what the store's coupon policy is. Most chain stores have a basic policy they follow. But sometimes they do vary from store to store! Call ahead. Back to store coupons....

Publix will have store coupons located in their green and yellow "advantage" sale fliers located at the front door. From there, go on a coupon treasure hunt throughout the store. Look for coupon displays or ask at the customer service desk if there are any coupon booklets available. Please only take a couple/few. Be kind and leave some for the rest of us!
Kroger will mail you store coupons if you sign up and get a store loyalty card from them.
Target has store coupons on their website available for you to print.
Food Lion also has coupons on their website to print. These are referred to as FLIPs (Food Lion Internet Printables).

I don't know about Ingles or Bi-Lo because they don't have stores in my area. But if you shop there(or anywhere else for that matter), call the store and ask about store coupons and how you can get your hands on some.

Walgreens and Rite Aid also have store coupons that are usually located at the front of the store in Walgreens or in the weekly store ad. I'll cover drugstores in depth later. It's a whole other ball game when it comes to drugstores!

I will try not to make this a Publix blog, because I know not everyone has access to a Publix. But let me just give you a scenario of how it works to stack store coupons and manufacturer coupons(MQs) on top of a sale at Publix:

Ragu Pasta Sauce, is BOGO $3.35 this week (that makes it 1.67 a jar)
There is a Publix store coupon in the Multiply your Meals & Savings booklet for -$1 off of 2 Ragu Pasta Sauces –
There is a MQ that you can print for -$1 off of 2 PRINT
Use both coupons to pay .68¢ per jar

Pretty cool huh? On a side note: Publix will take competitor coupons as well. Still only one store and one MQ. But, you can stack a Food Lion coupon with a MQ at Publix. This is why I love Publix :)

Next blog will be coupon lingo....

Leigh Ann

~All thanks to God!~

Gathering Coupons part 2: The Internet.

Gathering Coupons part 2:

The Internet

Printed coupons: There are 3 main websites that coupons can be printed from. They are Coupons.com, Smartsource and Redplum. Certain manufacturers like Kraft, Nestle, etc will also frequently make coupons available to print from their websites from time to time. Internet printed(IP) coupons have 2 different kinds of print limits. The first print limit is how many times you personally, will be allowed to print the coupon. Generally, 2 times per computer. Have you got a laptop and a desktop? Great, you've now got 4 coupons! The other print limit is how many coupons the manufacturer decides to release for print. This is why you will want to print the high value coupons right away instead of waiting for the sale. If you wait to print certain "hot" coupons, you risk the manufacturer's print limit being reached and you'll miss some really good deals. You might want to buy a canceled check register so that you have a place to store your printed coupons. You can organize each section however you want.

Here is a sample list of sections to organize them by:

• Personal Care / Medicine
• Cleaning / Other Household Supplies
• Meat / Dairy
• Sauces / Dressings / Condiments / Jellies
• Canned Goods / Soups
• Pasta / Rice / Seasonings / Crackers
• Beverages
• Flour / Baking / Oil
• Cereal / Breakfast Foods
• Paper Goods / Containers
• Baby
• Frozen Food / Bread
• Dessert / Snacks

(my coupon holder)

The IP coupons will "reset" at the beginning of each month and sometimes in between. So, it's a good idea to print the ones you know you will use at the beginning and again at the end of each month(if they are still available or have reset during the month). I don't print tons and tons of coupons out unless one of the websites I follows tells me, "this is a hot coupon, print now!" I usually print a few coupons I know I will use and then print as necessary to match the sales(we'll go over that part soon).
A couple tips about IP coupons:
1. When printing coupons, use black ink only. Yes, I am that cheap! I refuse to waste color ink on coupons. I've also been known to print coupons on the back side of old stationary, obsolete training manuals from work, or any other messed up printed paper. Rather than throw all that paper out, print coupons on the backside! You never know what you might find on the backside of my coupons ;-) Remember, I don't even like to pay full price for my news papers, so of course I try pay as little as possible for paper and ink to print coupons with. Told ya I was cheap.
2. From time to time, you will have to sign up on a manufacturer's website in order to print their coupon. So, go now and get a free email account from yahoo or hotmail just to use for coupons. That way, you won't be clogging up your personal email account with offers from those websites.

E-Coupons:

The only store I know of(in my area) that uses E-coupons is Kroger. My favorite store to shop is Publix. But I do go Krogering from time to time and when I do, the E-coupons are great to have! E-coupons are loaded directly on to your store loyalty card. When you use that card at checkout, the coupons are automatically deducted from your bill. You can use paper coupons along with E-coupons for each item. Go to Cellfire or Shortcuts to sign up and load the coupons on to your Kroger card.

Ok, I think that is enough for now! Next blog...coupon lingo.

Free Puffs Plus from Vocalpoint

Did you sign up with Vocalpoint like I told you to? Well, if you did you can go here to request a sample(maybe full size?) of Puffs Plus!
I will be working on my beginner's blog at lunch today. I promise! Ok, back to work for me now...

Freebies in my mailbox!

I just love getting freebies! I went to my mailbox today and there waiting for me was a full size bottle of Pantene shampoo from Vocalpoint.

My first thought was that I must blog about this so all my readers can sign up for Vocalpoint. Ok, maybe my first thought was, cool...free shampoo! But my second thought was to be sure and blog about it. If you haven't ever heard of Vocalpoint, you must go now and sign up. They send out tons of great coupons and freebies for people to "try and tell." They send you free stuff, you go on and tell them whether you love it or hate it. I must admit, I am not always great about going back and "telling." But it really doesn't take just a second to do. And it's been my experience that even if you are bad at the "telling" part, they still send you lots of free stuff. From memory, in the last 4-6 months, I have gotten free stock sizes(not samples) of Kashi cereal(twice), Oil of Olay(the $60 bottle), Bounce, Tide wrinkle stuff, Rice Krispies and now, Pantene shampoo. The other great part of Vocal point is the coupons. They always send multiples of high value coupons. Lots and lots of coupons.
I LOVE Vocalpoint! Go sign up here....go on....what are you waiting for?

A question for my readers...

Wow! I cannot believe I have over 30 fans on facebook in one day! I am truly humbled. So far this blog has just been a bunch of my ramblings about my shopping trips, some with pictures of my goodies, and what I'm learning as I go. There hasn't been much structure. It's been whatever I felt like sharing with whoever happens to be reading.

So, since I have new people reading me. Some people I don't even know(how exciting)! My question to you is...what would you like to see on this blog? Anything in particular? Any specific topics? I thought I would start my new readers out with a few blogs about the first steps to take for beginner couponers. But other than that, I thought I'd ask you what else you would like to read about?

Oh, and welcome to my blog!
Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, browse through some of the older posts and get inspired to start saving some money. Because we all know, spending....that was so last year!

Leigh Ann

~All thanks to God~

Gathering Coupons Part 1: The News Paper

Coupons...where do you start? Step One of course! In my opinion, step one has got to be gathering coupons. In order to shop the sales with coupons, you have to have coupons, right? Right. The key to getting the most out of a coupon is not to buy a paper, clip out a few coupons(or all the coupons) and immediately take them to the store. I can promise you that you won't save much money that way. You'll get frustrated after clipping all those coupons and give up very quickly. No, the trick, my friends is to wait. Gather the coupons, sit on them and wait for the items to go on sale. Then, you stack them on top of the sales and end up with things like $2 cat litter and .15 deodorant. Now, my friend...you are couponing!

How to gather coupons:

The newspaper

People always ask me, "how many news papers do you buy each week?" I think they expect me to say something crazy like 20. The answer is, 2. On occasion, if I know of a high value coupon in the paper, I might buy 3. I am blessed enough to have a guy who sells them for $1 on a corner near my house. So, on the way to church every Sunday, we stop and get 2 papers for $2. Well, actually, I get 6 papers for $6 because I pick them up for everyone else in my office too. I have heard that sometimes you can find the paper at the Dollar Tree on Mondays or can buy them discounted at drugstores late on Sunday evening. I have also bought discounted papers at Walgreens on Mondays. Maybe you have a neighbor, friend or family member who gets the paper and throws the coupon inserts out(oh the horror!). Ask them if you can have the coupons. Take a stroll through your neighborhood on recycling day. Find out what the gas station on the corner does on Sunday night with all their left over papers. There are ways around paying full price for anything, even newspapers!
Inside your paper you will find coupon "inserts." Usually there will be a Redplum insert and a Smartsource insert. Sometimes there are also P&G(Proctor and Gamble) inserts or GM(General Mills) inserts too. It's different each week. You can go to the Sunday Coupon Preview website each Wednesday to see if it looks like a week you want to buy 1 paper or 3, depending on how good the coupons are going to be. Hmmmm...maybe I will start posting the coupon previews that will be in the paper each week on my blog for you... Now, when you get the inserts, I want you to take a black sharpie and write the date on the front of the insert. Then, find a safe spot to store the inserts. I use an accordion file. It works perfectly for me. Find a system that works for you. Notice I did not tell you to make a pot of coffee, grab the scissors and begin to cut them out? Do not worry about clipping coupons! Yes, you did read that right. It will make you insane, frustrated, and you will give up couponing very quickly if you clip all the coupons at once. We don't need to clip them all because we have wonderful websites like Southern Savers and I Heart Publix, that will tell us which coupons to cut and stack with which sales. This way we are only clipping the coupons we want to use. There are a few other instances where I will clip coupons before a sale, but I will go over that later. For now, just put the inserts aside and and build your coupon stockpile up. I've seen people with their giant binders full of baseball card pages and all their pretty coupons neatly clipped and categorized. How nice for them. I don't know about you, but I am a full time working mom who does not have the time in my hectic life to sit and clip coupons! If you have time to clip each week, and really want use the binder system, I say go for it. Whatever works for you. My preferred system, however, is the dated insert system and that's what I'll be teaching you to do.

I decided to go ahead and post what I have written so far and let you start digesting all this in small bites. I don't want to overload you with so much information at one time that it completely overwhelms you. Let's do it one step at a time. The next blog will be "Gathering Coupons part 2: The Internet." Stay tuned....

Leigh Ann

~All Thanks to God~

A little bit of Rite Aid inspiration!

Samantha gathered her coupons for the Rite Aid deal listed here on Southern Savers and away to the store we went!
Here's what she got:
1Gilette Fusion shave gel $4.99
1Gilette body wash $4.49
2 John Freida conditioners $10
1 John Freida shampoo $5
1Almay eyeshadow $7.49
1Almay eyeliner $7.49
2 Oral B toothbrushes $5.48
2 Covergirl mineral makeups $25.98

Before sales and coupons: 70.92
after coupons and sales, order total: $5.97

She will get back in rebates:
$5 Almay
$5 John Freida
$1 Oral B
That means she got paid $5.03 to shop!!!

Now....who's going to start shopping the drugstores??????

Calling all CVS virgins!

Ok all you CVS virgins! This blog's for you. I wanted to tell you about a simple CVS scenario to get you started in the wonderful world of CVS. This will also let you start a deodorant stockpile. Now, don't get scared away at the word stockpile. I am not talking bomb shelter stockpile! It just makes more sense to buy 6 deodorants all at one time for .15 each than it does to buy 1 deodorant a month for $2.50 each. Right!? Of course it does! So, get a tote, cause if you get into CVSing, you'll be filling it up in no time and "shopping" from your stockpile rather than the store.
Here is the deal:
Starting this Sunday CVS will give you $5 in Extra Care Bucks(ECBs) when you buy $15 in Dove or Degree products. This is also a great way to get your first ECBs that you can then use to "roll" each week.
Here's what you do:
Buy 6 Degree deodorants at $2.50 each
Use 3 of these coupons $3/2 Degree deodorants
I printed 2 Degree Girl ones, and one Degree Men. Print the ones you will use more. You can print each coupon 2 times per computer. Just hit your back button and click resend after the first coupon prints to get a second print.
Total due: $6+tax
Get back $5 ECB's!

Save your ECB's for the next deal that gets you more ECB's and keep rolling them over and over and over! It's like having CVS currency and you want to buy as much as you can using their currency instead of real money. Make sense?

Now, I want to know who does the deal and how was your "first time?" Was it all you thought it would be.....

Happy Saving!

Warming up to Rite Aid

So, my drugstore of choice has always been CVS. Walgreens makes you stand on your head while doing jumping jacks over the moon in order to get all coupons to scan. And in the words of Jenny(Southern Savers), when the register beeps, it's game over and you go home. There are no overrides. You just go home. Never seems to work out well there for me. I had a very ugly, bad experience at Rite Aid one time over how many internet printed coupons I could use that left a bitter taste in my mouth. I never went back since then. Until today. Today was a great Rite Aid trip! I actually made .51 to shop there today! Here's what I got:That is 2 Cover Girl foundations, 2 CG mineral powders, Almay eyeshadow and Almay eyeline(my favorite eyeliner by the way!). Order total: $4.49 and I will be getting back $5 in Rite Aid's "Single Check Rebate" (SCR) program. So, I made .51!
How did I do that???
Cover Girl face products are Buy One Get One(B1G1) right now and I had a 2 B1G1 coupons from the news paper(P&G 2-7 insert).
Which made the CG items FREE!
The Almay eye products were B1G1 @$7.49 with a $5 SCR when you buy 2 products.
On top of that, I used a $3 off $15 Rite Aid coupon. Print here
Making my order total $4.49.

I added it up and had I paid full price it would have been $64.34. Not even counting the rebate, I saved 59.85!! Yes, I know drugstore prices are way higher than Target and Walmart. But you still could not have gotten all that I did for $4.49 plus a rebate at any supercenter in the world!
Yes, think I am warming up to Rite Aid....

Here is a link to the Southern Savers Rite Aid weekly ad if you'd like to check out all the current deals there. I think I am going back for some free John Freida products after work. I'm on a Rite Aid roll!

~All thanks to God~

66 cent Fruit Chillers at Publix this week !

Wanna get started couponing? Here's a super easy deal to whet your coupon appetite....


Starting this Thursday(3/11) at Publix, DelMonte Fruit Chillers will be 3/$5. That makes them $1.66 each. Go here to print a $1 off coupon that will make them .66 each! The great thing about this particular coupon is that there doesn't seem to be a print limit (after your coupon prints, hit your Back button and then click on resend for it to print another copy). Which means you can print as many coupons as you want instead of the usual 2 per computer limit that most printed coupons have.
My one year old just loves these things so I will be stocking up on them. Perfect for all this nice warm weather we are about to have!