Today's Loot

Not too shabby.

I'm really tired so I'll just give you the run down. Of what I bought and Q's used.

(5) Softsoap 18 oz - $17.45
(3) Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Rapid Release 24 ct - $14.97
(2) Gilette Fustion Razors - $17.98
(2) Oral B Crossaction Toothbrushes - $8.98
(1) 4-Pack Panasonic AA Batteries - $2.00 (clearance)
(1) Hallmark Card - $2.49

I did buy a football for $5.99 that I returned because I thought it was only $1.00

Used:
(2) -$1.00 Softsoap Printables - $2.00
(1) -$1.00 Softsoap IVC from October ES - $5.00 (takes $1 off for every Softsoap purchased)
(3) -$1.00 Tylenol Cold MFQ - $3.00
(1) -$1.50 Tylenol Cold IVC from October ES - $4.50 (takes $1.50 for everything Tylenol Cold purchased)
(2) -$4.00 Gilette Fusion MFQ - $8.00
(2) -$1.00 Oral B Manual Toothbrush MFQ - $2.00

These were broken up into 2 transactions. I could have saved more money if I broke them up into more, but I had Alex and he wasn't in the mood to be in the checkout lane all day. I didn't start out with any RRs. And now I have $28 left over! Plus, somehow I got an extra 2 RRs (not sure from where or what).

Somehow I got 2 extra RRs from Walgreens this morning. I only did one transaction.

Bought:
(3) Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Rapid Release 24 ct (I think these gave me the extra 2 RRs) - $14.97
(1) Oral B Crossaction - $4.49
(1) Gilette Fusion Razor - $8.99 (I'm going to get as many as I can this week because Hubby loves these)
(1) Hallmark card - $2.49
(1) Foam Football - $5.99 (thought it was only $1.00)

Used:
(1) -$1.50 IVC Tylenol Coupon from Oct ES - $4.50
(3) -$1.00 Tylenol MFQ - $3.00
(1) -$4.00 Gilette Fusion - $4.00

Total = $21.xx

Received 4 RRs (for Fusion), $4.50 RRs (for Oral B), 5 RRs (for Tylenol), 2 RRs (for who knows??), plus some vitamin coupon

The reason I think the 2 RRs are from Tylenol is because on it, it says "Thanks" from the same company that the Tylenol RRs are from (I can't think of the name off hand). Unless I got the RRs for the Hallmark card? I doubt it's from the foam football.

I don't know. But, I was pleasantly surprised.

Pictures to come later today because Alex and I might for back to WAGs again.

Dippin'

Walgreens went well today. Not as well as anticipated, but I'm still pleased because I came out a dollar ahead. Better than nothing!

I was most disappointed about the Glade fabric and air sprays. Or whatever. I REALLY wanted to get some of these. And I couldn't for the life of me, find any. I couldn't even find the spot they would have been on the shelf. Maybe my wags doesn't carry them?

Oh well.

Purchased:
(3) Garnier Fructis Conditioner (do I really need more??) - $20.97
(4) Boxes of Mike&Ikes (request from the hubby) - $5.00
(1) Gallon of milk - $2.98 (or something like that)
(1) Rimmel Foundation - $7.49
(1) L'Oreal Revitalift Cleanser - $6.99

Used:
(1) -$3.00 October IVC Garnier Fructis coupon - $9.00 (takes $3 off per bottle purchased)
(3) -$1.00 Garnier Fructis MFQ - $3.00
(1) -$1.00 L'Oreal Cleanser - $1.00
-$5/$20 Wags coupon

Total = $25.77

Will receive = $26.93 back in rebates

So, I forgot my Rimmel coupon. Oh well. But, I totally lucked out on the milk. We REALLY needed milk and I didn't feel like stopping anywhere else. Plus, the price was right. The first time I checked, they were out of skim. I checked back later and there was one lonely gallon waiting for me to scoop up!

I couldn't find the Energy Shots and didn't really feel like asking because it's not really anything we need in our house. My husband would end up drinking them when he got home from work, or something silly, and stay up until 6am. Then I would be mad. So, it's something we can live without unless they happen to fall into my lap next time I'm at wags.

I have to say, I am very excited for next week's deals. I plan to take advantage of the Soft Soap and the Tylenol RRs... although I forsee them somehow not working. Such is my luck with RRs.

Oh, and no CVS this week. I wasn't excited for any of the deals. I would have liked the body wash, but didn't feel like going in just for that. It's always such an ordeal to take my child shopping.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

Our anniversary is on the 29th, which I am excited for :) I just hope we don't spend too much money at dinner. Man, listen to me!

Anyways, to celebrate Mike went to Target (alone!) and picked up one of their inexpensive storage cabinets for the basement. The system we've been using for our stockpile has worked well... but we are expecting guests next month and I wanted a way to sort of make everything a little more discrete.

"Hi! Welcome to our home. I like to collect pantiliners... do you need any?"

So, he put it together for me and I am in the process of filling it. It's fun :) But, it just occurred to me we are going to need to baby-proof it somehow. Alex loves our stockpile and for the most part it was high enough off the ground that he didn't notice it too often. But, now that some of it is in a cupboard, with doors that are fun to open and close, I have a feeling we might have a problem on our hands. And the fact that he loves opening deodorants and shampoo bottles doesn't help much.

Anyways, pictures to come as soon as I'm done. Time for bed.

My husband...

I sure do love him. But, sometimes he just doesn't get it. And it exhausts me!

The other day while I was taking a nap, he took my son to the grocery store and spent $15.00 on supplies to make homemade salsa. He came home, whipped up a batch, and it was awful. Fifteen dollars down the drain. Literally. I had to dump a huge batch because neither one of us would eat it.

What on earth do I do in order to make him understand that we live on a budget?

Big Meijer trip

So, I spent more than usual at Meijer lastnight. But, in my defense, we don't have ANY meat in our freezer right now. Plus I had to get a few things I don't have coupons for. I spent $$66.25 but I now have a month's worth of ground beef, at least 3 weeks worth of chicken, plus ground turkey (which is expensive).

I wish we had a big freezer!

Bolded items were on sale to begin with - prices are all pre-coupon

Purchased:
(1) 1.17# of Bananas - $0.69
(1) Bunch of green onion - $0.50
(1) Bunch of brocolli - $1.67
(1) Red pepper - $1.56 (ouch!)
(1) Container of strawberries - $2.00
(1) Jar of Vlassic dill pickles - $2.96
(1) Jar of Miracle Whip - $2.39
(1) Bag of Salt & Vinegar chips - $1.67 (not in picture)
(2) Pizza Mixes - $1.78
(2) Smart Taste Ronzoni thin spaghetti - $2.96
(1) Cascade Smart Rinse - $3.94
(1) Oscar Mayer Hot Dog - $4.49
(1) Heluva frech onion dip - $1.50
(1) Block of Meijer mozzarella cheese - $3.19 (not in picture)
(1) Box of Mike & Ikes - $1.25
(1) Whole Chicken - $5.11 (no more mealbox coupon for this...)
(6) Boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese - $2.16 (on sale B3G3Free)
(3) Jars of Meijer pizza sauce - $2.49
(6) Cans of Delmonte green beans - $3.60
(1) Loaf of Aunt Millie's bread - $2.00 (couldn't find the $0.99 one I had read about)
(5) Rice-A-Roni - $5.00
(2) Lawry's Marinades - $3.34
(2) Wishbone salad dressing - $3.33
(1) 5# roll of ground beef - $8.95
(1) 40 oz bag of chicken - $5.99
(1) Package of Jennie O ground turkey - $3.00
(3) Bottles of Purex - $5.97

Used:
(1) Free Cascade Rinse - $3.94
(1) Free Oscar Mayer hot dog WYB 3 Kraft - $4.49
(2) $0.50 off Lawry's marinade - $2.00 (doubled)
(1) $1.00 off 2 bottles of Wishbone salad dressing - $1.00
(1) $0.35 off Aunt Millie's bread - $0.70 (doubled)
(1) $0.55 off Tyson chicken - $0.55
(1) $0.50 off bottle of Purex - $1.00 (doubled)
(1) $1.00 off 2 bottles of Purex - $1.00
(1) $1.00 off 5 Rice-A-Roni (mealbox coupon) - $1.00
(2) $1.00 Smart Taste Ronzoni pasta - $2.00

Total = $66.25

Saved $42.44 ($24.76 was because of sale prices, $17.68 was because of coupons)

Super Kroger Savings!

Successful Kroger trip. Based on the deals this week (Monday thru Sunday), this transaction can be repeated as long as the catalinas are still produced.

Bought:
(4) 4-packs of Cottonelle - $3.96
(8) Bottles of Suave shampoo - $7.04
(2) Glade scented gel warmers - $3.58

Total before coupons = $15.45 (includes tax)

Used:
(4) -$0.50 Cottonelle coupons (doubled to $0.99) - $3.96
(4) -$1.50 off two Sauve hair care products - $6.00
(1) BOGO Glade scented gel warmer - $1.79

Total after coupons = $3.71 (includes tax)

And what makes it even better is I received (2) $2.00 OYNO catalinas for purchasing 2 glades. I thought it was going to be off your next GLADE purchase, but it turns out it's even better and the catalinas can be used to purchase anything! Love it :)

Purex at Meijer!

I split this up into 2 transactions because there was a limit of 4 bottles... after that the price would have gone up. Plus, I got to use 4 of the $0.50 off coupons that doubled to $1.00 each. For simplicity:

Purchased:
(8) Bottles of Purex - $16.87 (includes tax)

Used:
(4) -$0.50 off one bottle - $4.00 (doubled)
(2) -$1.00 off two bottles - $2.00

Total = $10.87 for 8 bottles of detergent (includes tax)

Not bad!

I still have 4 coupons left so I'll get more when I head back to do grocery shopping later this week.

Sweet!!

I was just kicking myself for not taking full advantage of the Purex sale at CVS this week. That was until I saw a preview for Meijer's ad this week... Purex is on sale for $1.99 and if you use your $0.50 off coupon it doubles making it only $0.99 a bottle!

I'm so glad I decided to check out HCW before heading to bed. Now tomorrow when Alex and I head to Meijer to pick up our Sunday papers, I'll bring my coupons and scoop up some Purex. I think I'll probably use all my coupons, including the new $1 off 2 that came out last week. My mom uses a lot of Purex and she'd probably take a few bottles.

Laundry detergent is one of my favorite things to stockpile. And to think, prior to couponing I used to get so excited for the Dynamo sale Meijer occassionally has... B1G2Free. Thats not even a good deal!

Now, I just need to decide how many papers I'll buy tomorrow. There is another Cottonelle coupon that will make TP free at Kroger, but I'm not certain if the 4 packs are still $0.99 and I'm not sure if it's worth it to spend the $1.75 per paper to get the free TP. The other coupons don't seem all that great.

Hmmm....

Meijer Super Saturday

Stopped at Meijer before work today. It was a madhouse with everyone getting ready for tailgate this morning. I was like the only person there in the shoe department... everyone else was in the liquor aisle!

Anyways, I didn't buy any groceries or use any coupons. I went simply to buy shoes. I purchased 4 pairs of shoes and paid $65.00 for them.

For myself I got some plain black work shoes and a pair of knock off UGGS for tromping around in the snow with Alex. I also bought Alex two pairs of shoes. We were in desperate need of new shoes. I tried to convince Mike to go and check them out on his way to pick Alex up from my moms. He wasn't interested.

Anyways, I didn't do too much shopping last week because I wasn't feeling well. Hopefully I can make up for it this week. I'd like to take advantage of the candy deal at CVS because my husband is addicted to sugar. I'd also like to get the Reach toothbrushes at Walgreens, although I can't seem to find my 7/13 inserts. So, we'll see....

Meijer's Saturday Sale

I'm feeling much better today. We made a trip to DSW because I'm in desperate need of new shoes. So glad I didn't buy anything because...

Meijer is having a B1G1$1 sale on shoes on Saturday. Buy one pair, get a second for $1.00. I've never purchased shoes from Meijer before but I'm totally willing to give it a shot. I'd like to get Alex some new shoes too... but the add says prices start at $12.99 so I'm not sure how I feel about spending $13.99 (at the very LEAST) on two pairs of toddler shoes. It's not horrible. But, I'm VERY picky about toddler shoes and I'd rather spend $40 on toddler shoes that I approve of, than $13.99 on just some random shoes I'm not totally comfortable with him wearing.

I'm weird. I know.

We'll see!

Food budget...

Well, I'm officially sick. A very weird kind of sick that would make me think I was pregnant, except that I can say with EXACT certainty that I'm not. It's strange. Nausea and vomitting.

I didn't make it to the store yesterday (well, except for the produce I managed to get before having my stomach explode). I planned to go this morning, but a sleepless night and nausea kept me away. So, I sent my husband. He's been gone for a LOONNNNNG time. Makes me kind of nervous. One of my money-saving techniques is to always leave the hubby home when you go grocery shopping. So, I can only imagine all the items he has added to the list I sent him out with.

I think it's safe to assume our food budget for this week is probably blown!

This always happens...

I already made a stop at Wags this week and spent everything on my rebate gift card. Not because I went on a shopping spree. But, because my husband sprung on me that he needed Prilosec and razor refills, ASAP! Both pricey items despite coupons. I did manage to scoop up 2 bags of Butterfingers for $0.50 a piece and the BETTER THAN FREE Glade Scented Gel Warmers... I lucked out and found one that has a $1.00 peelie, so I made a buck on that deal.

Anyways... I just read about some more free Dove chocolate this week. I didn't scoop any up lastweek, so I think I'm going to go back and see if I can get it this week. Plus, the free Colgate Max toothpaste.

I'm totally addicted.

Meal Plan

Breakfast:
-Hashbrowns and frui
-Starbucks muffin (Alex and I share an oat bran muffin if we are out running errands)
-Cinnamon toast
-Veggie scramble and fruit
-Cereal and fruit
-Cinnamon rolls

Lunch/Dinner (Combined categories because these meals are often wacky as a result of Mike's work schedule):
-Sloppy joes, potato chips and fruit (Check!)
-Roasted chicken, rice and roasted potatoes
-Omelets/scrambles, bacon and fruit
-Chicken noodle soup (use leftover roasted chicken)
-Pizza!
-Brats fruit/veggies and rice
-Mac N Cheese and veggies
-Hot dogs and fries
-Spaghetti and veggies
-Beef Stew... YUMMM!!

Additional Alex variations:
-Nuggets, french fries, rice, peaches, red pepper, mac n cheese, bagel pizza, green beans, oranges (these are on hand for when he won't eat what we've prepared for ourselves)

Unsuccessful??

So, my first attempt at making a grocery run this week didn't go so well.

As soon as I stepped into Kroger, my stomach decided it hated me and that it wanted me to suffer. I ran to the bathroom and thought I would be fine afterwards. I made it through the produce department when I realized I needed to leave, soon. So I quickly grabbed some milk... WHICH IS ONE CLEARANCE FOR $1.99 :):) And made my way out of the store.

So, I have spent $31.xx already this week on groceries. It's all fresh produce... so no coupons. I don't want to bore you with pictures of peaches and parsley.

I don't feel one bit guilty about spending that much on produce. I often wonder where all the fruits and veggies are when people post about their grocery trips.

I have an 18 month old who is a picky eater. He likes fresh fruit and veggies, but one week he'll act like peaches as the best fruit ever, then the next week look at you as though you're crazy when you give them to him for breakfast. So, I like a nice variety produce to make him happy.

Today I bought:
-Strawberries
-Cantelope
-3 peaces
-Bag of potatoes
-Onion
-Bag of carrots
-Bunch of parsely
-Celery
-Clearance multigrain roll thingy - $0.69
-Clearance gallon of whole milk - $1.99
-1/2 gallon of skim milk
-2 Kroger big block cheeses - $3.69 a piece
-Land O Lakes - FORGOT ABOUT THIS... I actually had a coupon for it but was in such a hurry to get out that I didn't use it. Oh well, would have only saved me $0.55

Is that it? I feel like I got more produce than that. I can't remember though.

Quick CVS

Stopped today at the CVS down the street. Their summer clearance is still going strong... college students REALLY don't care about saving a buck. I'm probably the only mom that shops there.

Purchased:
(1) Purex = $2.99
(2) Ambi Cleaners (Think??) = $9.98
(2) Ball Squirt Toys = $0.34
(1) Little Pets Toy = $0.59

Used:
-$2/10 CVS Coupon
-$3.00 Ambi IP
-$3.00 Ambi IP
-$0.50 Purex
-$5.00 ECBs
-$2.00 ECBs

Paid $0.98 OOP I think

The poopy part - I didn't realize the AMBI deal maxed out at 3. Oops. So I got one cleanser too many and as a result didn't get as many ECBs as expected.

Uhhhh....

This week's tally

Heres my breakdown of this week... roughly.

CVS
Multiple transactions. Too many to remember exacts. But, I came away with 3 Right Guards, 1 Right Guard Professional Strength, 2 Soft & Dri, 3 Revlon nailpolishes, 2 Ambi soaps, LOTS of summer clearnace toys. I spent about $13 OOP because of the toys and the fact that they wouldn't take my revlon coupons.

Walgreens
Only one transaction. Can you believe it?! The best sales in Wag's history and I only make one trip for 3 cough syrups and some trashbags!

Thats it. Sorry for the lack of detail. It's late. It's been raining all day. We have a giant puddle in our basement. Sweet.

UGH.

Ugh. Big, fat UGH.

I spent a lot of time agonizing over my purchases using the 10/40 Wags coupon. I shouldn't have waited until 10pm on a Saturday night to try and use it. I told myself that if I walked in the door and immediately discovered they were out of the L'Oreal, I was leaving. They were out. I didn't leave. I browsed for awhile thinking about possible clearance section purchases. But, I'm not going to buy something just because it's cheap. Then I decided to at least check out the cleaning supplies. Not a thing was left in stock except for the Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubber or whatever that thing is that's $3.79. I only had two of the $2.75 off coupons. So, I decided to leave... which was the right decision!

I promptly headed over to CVS prepared to make this great transaction that would give me 19 ECBs. Nope. They were completely out of the Ambi soaps. Bah! So, I browsed the clearance again. Didn't see anymore of those police cars that Alex likes. So, I decided to leave... which was the right decision! I spent enough OOP there already this week. And I am totally unimpressed with there deals for next week. I'm not sure I'm going to bother going unless I decide I want to burn some ECBs.

UGH.

And to think. It was a completely baby-free shopping adventure. And the tunes on the radio were great (usually a good sign for me). But, I got nothin'.

CVS

Well, today's trip to CVS really took me OOP. But, I'm totally fine with it.

I live in a college town and I don't visit the CVS down the street all too often. Parking is inconvenient. It's always busy. And I'm always THAT mom with the cranky kid and 10 coupons... with a line of college kids behind me rolling their eyes.

But, this morning I left for work early just so I could make a baby-free stop at the CVS. I was hesitant to go in. I peeked through the front door and saw my absolute most favorite cashier... so I went for it.

Unlike every other CVS I've been to this week, their summer clearance was overflowing with kid's toys! I guess those college students don't have any need for blow up tubes and squirty fish.

I loaded up on everything I had on my list... INCLUDING AMBI BARS! They had like 6 in stock :) Plus TONS of toys. I paid $10 OOP, but I got back something like $16 ECBs... so I'm fine with it.

I'll post a picture of my CVS haul once I decided I'm done with CVS for the week... I might go back and get more toys :)

My Walgreens Scenario

(2) Scrubbing Bubbles Action Scrubbers = $7.58
(5) Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Wipes = $12.45
(1) Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash = $4.49
(1) L'Oreal Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate = $16.49
(1) Wags Acid Controller = $7.99
(1) Lypsol = $1.99
(1) Pert Plus = $4.39
(1) Candy (need a filler) = $1.50

Total = $56.88

Use:
(2) Scrubbing Bubbles Action -$5.50
(5) Scrubbing Bubbles Wipes -$5.00
(1) L'Oreal -$3.00
(1) Pert Plus -$2.00

Total = $41.38

Minus $10/$40 Wags Coupon = $31.38

Receive $14.50 RR & $33.86 Rebates (includes +10%) = $48.86

$17.48 $16.98 Profit.

Mistakes?

PLEASE!!! Let everything be in stock :)

Meal Plan Monday

Breakfast:
-Hashbrowns and fruit (Check!)
-Starbucks muffin (Alex and I share an oat bran muffin if we are out running errands)
-Cinnamon toast
-Veggie scramble and fruit
-Cereal and fruit

Lunch/Dinner (Combined categories because these meals are often wacky as a result of Mike's work schedule):
-Tacos and veggies
-Sloppy joes, potato chips and fruit (Check!)
-Roasted chicken, rice and steamed veggies (Check!)
-Omelets/scrambles, sausage and fruit
-Lemon mushroom chicken and roasted potatoes
-Pizza! (Check!)
-Brats, roasted potatoes/onions/peppers and rice
-Mac N Cheese and veggies
-Hot dogs and fries
-Spaghetti and veggies
-Leftovers

Additional Alex variations:
-Nuggets, french fries, rice, peaches, red pepper, mac n cheese, bagel pizza, green beans, oranges (these are on hand for when he won't eat what we've prepared for ourselves)

Deliciously Frugal

I've noticed that quite a few frugal bloggers write about pizza. Pizza is something I've been trying for a couple of months now. Each week or so, I vary it slightly... and tonight I hit the jackpot.

(1) Betty Crocker Pizza Dough Mix (not the tube of frozen stuff) - $0.90
(1/3) of a Jar of Meijer brand pizza sauce - $0.30
(1) Block of Kraft Mozzarella - $2.66 (what I should have paid - see my Meijer post)
Dash of garlic salt (optional)
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

About $3.86

What I did today that made ALL the difference:
-Shredded cheese from the block. Sooooooo good! The cheese was extra melty and bubbly and brown
-Added red pepper flakes to the top of the pizza before baking
-Sprinkled garlic salt on the crust and on top of the cheese AFTER baking (don't go overboard, only the SMALLEST amount is necessary)

Best pizza I've made so far. I would have added toppings had I had more time to cut up some veggies. Alex devoured it.

And to think, Walmart's commercial advertises that you can save money by buying their $8.00 frozen pizza!

Oh CVS...

I don't usually have problems with CVS. Well, I should say not any huge problems about cashiers being rude or anything. ::Knocks on wood:: But, today didn't go as planned.

I went strictly for the nail polish and Herbal Essence. Well, the shampoo didn't work out because the coupon is for the large size, not the ones that are on sale. No biggie. I've got truck loads of shampoo as it is. But, I did buy three bottles of nailpolish and I threw in an Ambi soap (should have bought more because I fear they will run out soon). The cashier wouldn't take my Revlon coupons because nailpolish isn't a "Colour Cosmetic".

My OOP ended up being around $4. It's not all completely lost. I did get $12 ECBs.

Anyways, no picture for today's transaction

(3) Revlon Nail Polish - $11.97
(1) Ambi Cleaning Bar - $1.99

Used:
-$2/10 coupon
-$8 ECBs

Paid $4.xx out of pocket. Received 12 ECBs.

Run to your store and scoop up those Ambi soap bars!

Meijer - 9/08

Overall I'm pretty happy with my Meijer trip this week. They were out of the Aquafresh toothpaste and Land O Lakes butter that I had already factored into my 11 for $10 deals... meaning I had to re-work my numbers of other items, which was a pain.

Anyways... Bolded items were on sale to begin with.

Bought:

(1) Bunch of bananas - $0.71
(1) 16 oz Sour Cream - $1.67
(1) Bunch of green onions - $0.89
(1) Bunch of grapes - $2.02
(1) Garlic - $0.40
(1) Jar Meijer Pizza Sauce - $0.89
(1) Carton of Eggs - $1.48
(1) Gallon Whole Milk - $3.03
(1) Half gallon of Skim Milk - $2.03
(1) Frito Bean Dip - $2.79 (youch! but it keeps my husband from running to the corner store for snacks)
(1) Package of bone-in chicken breasts - $5.49
(1) Open Pit BBQ sauce (probably cheaper at Kroger, but wanted to avoid a trip there) - 1.99
(2) Kraft Block Cheese - $7.98 (Yikes! Should have only been $3.99 because it was B1G1Free, but perhaps I picked up the wrong ones)
(1) Box of Graham Crackers - $2.50 (Alex loves these and I refuse to buy generic brand because I've tried all of them and think they're gross)
(2) Lysol Kitchen Cleaners - $2.58
(4) Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $5.16
(4) Boxes of Electrosol - $12.00
(2) Spray N Wash - $2.98
(1) Doritos - $1.89
PART OF 11 for $10 Accidentally got 12 items
(1) Bag of Carrots - $1.00
(1) Bunch of Broccoli - $1.00
(1) Package of Mushrooms - $1.00
(3) Boxes of Storage bags - $3.00
(4) Bags of Combos - $4.00
(1) Hamburger buns - $1.00
(1) Bread - FREE

Total Before Coupons - $70.51

Coupons Used:
(1) Meijer Mealbox for Sour Cream - $0.50
(2) Spray N Wash - $2.00 (double savings)
(2) Lysol Kitchen Cleaner - $2.00 (double savings)
(4) Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner - $3.00
(4) Electrosol - $9.00
(2) Combos - $2.00

Total After Coupons - $52.01

I should also point out that taking advantage of JUST sales, I saved $35.99. With coupons I saved $18.50.

Break-up??

Well, I'm sorry to admit that Walgreens and I might be on the "outs". I'm new to the Walgreens game. But, the last three or so times I've been there, things haven't ended well.

Alex and I headed out early this morning to buy our usual Sunday papers, get Starbucks (something my frugal-self REFUSES to give up) and do the Robutussin deal at Walgreens. I bought three bottles, all rang up at the sale price - $3.99 - but only $5.00 RR were printed. Ofcourse, I didn't think to look at the coupon until we were already at Meijer.

I'm bummed. I was counting on using the $10 RR on cleaning supplies later this week.

Anyways, it was still a money maker... I suppose. Although, I tend to not take into account RR, ECBs and the like, when evaluating my OOP expense.

We'll see what happens. I submitted my August Easy Saver rebates and should receive a gift card... someday. Once it gets here and I start utilizing the money loaded onto the card, I will then re-evaluate the situation. But, I'm not happy.

And, to top it off... I accidentally bought 2 Pediatric cough medicines, when I was certain I only grabbed one. Theres no way we'll be able to use that much cough medicine on Alex before they expire... so maybe I'll see about an exchange.

Hardcore Budgeting

So, up until now, I've been pretty lazy about creating an actual budget. I find good deals and I buy them. Thats about as serious as I have been. But, all of that is about to change. For the month of September I'm going to try and save all my receipts to track my spending. Plus, keep a grocery/drugstore budget of $100 a week and then hopefully adjust down from that as I go.

This week should be a little wacko. My inlaws bought our groceries for us on Sunday. I don't plan to make any serious stop at Meijer or Kroger except for perhaps some Capri Suns and trash bags (if I can't come up with a drug store deal on trash bags)

Week of 8/31-9/06:
~CVS- $2.22 (grocery/drugstore)
~McDonalds (cranky kid needed some nuggets - mom needed coffee) - $6.55 (eating out)
~L&L (local independent grocery store)- $2.19 (grocery/drugstore)
~Kroger- $9.17 (grocery/drugstore)
~Meijer- $11.20 (grocery/drugstore)
~Meijer- $9.53 (Toy)
~Target- $35.62 Included formula - yikes! (grocery/drugstore)
~Starbucks- $20.00 (coffee)

Total = $96.48

Things to note: No gas was purchased this week. My husband probably snuck in some additional eating out expenses (I found an Olga's bag in his car), that he didn't tell me about. My inlaws purchased our groceries so our grocery/drugstore total was only $60.40 (which included $19.00 formula which I probably won't have to purchase anymore!).

Received: $8.00 ECBs, $3.00 OYNO catalina, $10.00 GC (none were deducted from totals... All totals are the amount I actually spent in cash or on debit card)

Month of September:
~Comcast (cable, internet, phone)- $106.xx (utilities)
~State Farm (personal property coverage, homeowners insurance already paid in full for entire year)- $10.16 (insurance)
~Mortgage- $599.xx (Mortgage)
~Property Taxes- $400.00 (consider this Mortgage)
~Board of Water and Light (electric)- $85.44 (utilities)

CVS- 9/03

Wow. So I was sort of thinking about taking this week off from CVS, but I couldn't resist the Neutrogena mascara deal. I happen to really like the mascara that I was able to try free a few weeks back. Anyways, I'm glad I went. I stopped at two CVS's because the first was out of the Dawn Hand Renewal and I really hate getting rain checks. The woman ahead of me in line purchased all the rest of them... DARN!

Transaction #1:

(1) Covergirl Wetslick - $5.99
(1) Colgate Advanced Clean - $2.99
(2) Dawn Dish Soap (out of hand renewal)- $1.98 (Probably wouldn't have picked these had I had more time to find a different filler - but my child was freaking out so I went with it)

Used:
(1) -$1.00 Covergirl coupon
(1) -$1.00 Colgate coupon
(1) -$1.00 with purchase of 2 Dawn Dish Soap
(1) -$2/10 CVS coupon
-$5.00 ECBs

Total OOP $1.20 (including tax) Received $7.99 in ECBs!

Transaction #2 (at a different CVS):
(2) Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara - $11.98
(1) Colgate Advanced Clean - $2.99
(1) CVS Pantiliner (can't remember the ct. #) - $0.99
(4) Dawn Hand Renewal - $3.96

Used:
(1) -$2.00/3 Neutrogena Cosmetic (from All You)
(1) -$1.50 Colgate IP coupon
(1) -$1.50 CVS CRT for pantiliner (adjusted to -$0.99)
(4) -$1.00 Dawn Hand Renewal (adjusted to -$3.96)
(1) -$2/10 CVS Coupon
-$7.99 ECBs

Total: $1.02 OOP and Received $8.00 ECBs!

So I spent $2.22 OOP and came away with $3.00 more ECBs than I started with!

I'd like to find a way to go back and get trash bags, but I'm not very good at getting good deals on things I don't have coupons for... so we'll see!

The cashier tried to give me a hard time during transaction #2 because she said I could only use 1 Dawn Hand Renewal coupon per purchase. I didn't have to talk her into using them or anything, she just said next time I shouldn't try it. I've never had someone say that to me before, anywhere, ever. I have a feeling at some CVS's the managers try and get cashiers to tell customers lies about coupon rules... or something. At that same CVS they avoid putting sale stickers on shelves of items that are free after ECBS or free after ECBs+coupons. Which I don't think is coincidental. I swear they do it on purpose because there are PLENTY of other sale stickers for other items.

I'm blabbing.