Frugal Friday With Marsha -- Halloween Clearance

Earlier this week my oldest daughter woke me up with a facebook message saying she wanted to go to Walgreen's.  I told her to go then.  She told me she thought I might like to go too.  I knew she wanted to go and check out the Halloween clearance.  I didn't figure we would find much as it had been days since my middle daughter has messaged with pictures of all of the cool stuff they bought at 90% off.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that they did have quite a bit of Halloween clearance still on the shelves.

It's always fun, and a great deal to be able to shop after holiday clearance sales.  Sadly for myself, I often don't think ahead enough to make sure I have some money to shop with.  I did have some money in my pocket.  I could have bought more than I did, and probably should have.

I ended up spending $1.45 on what you see in this picture:

I bought myself the little witch headband for a little costume to have for occasions next year.  THe candy bar was a treat that didn't last long.  I now have treat bags to fill for next year, and I will use the activity books in gift packages throughout the year.

My daughter spent $7.03 for what you see in this picture:

I think she got the better deals buying all of the Nightmare Before Christmas items.  They are popular, and didn't seem to me to be Halloween specific.  She will use these for gifts as well.  She went and picked up the other Star Wars activity books for 5 cents each after she seen that mine did ring up for that price.


This got me to thinking too about those who would rather shop online.  I did a search for Halloween clearance.  Some results didn't show much of a discount, but here are some that did, although, not as much of a discount as inside the actual store.

Amazon

Target

Walmart

Did you pick up any good deals this week?

Frugal Friday With Marsha 12/13/13 Linky Party

I am late getting this post up today. First my daughter was sick so I had to take the grandkids to school. While I was out I knew I better get my merchandising job done at Walmart and a little shopping....plus scanning with my checkpoints and shopkick apps.
I then went to the bank. I had money in my account from selling books at half.com that I didn't realize.
My bank is next door to Target so I stopped on in to scan with the apps there too. I should have cashed in my points to pay for most of the cat litter that I bought, but decided to wait and just pay the cash.
I then headed to Walgreen's.

Walgreens is where my morning went awry. I wanted to go ahead and get some stocking stuffers and such and use the $5 Jingle Cash we had gotten before.
Sigh---it's not like last year when it was just $5 off period, it's $5 off $30. I was ok with that as I had my $10 gift card that I redeemed from mypoints to also help me pay.
What I didn't know is that the $30 is before coupons.
I didn't read the fine print ahead of time to know that, but I have now read it. It states: Walgreen's Jingle Cash can only be redeemed on a total qualifying purchase of $30 or more. Only one Jingle Cash coupon redeemed per transaction. Jingle Cash can not be redeemed for cash. Jingle Cash is earned after all applicable discounts and before any manufacturer's coupons or taxes are imposed.
In other words, it doesn't tell you what a total purchase of $30 or more is!! It should state $30 after all discounts and manufacturer's coupons.
Oh well, lesson learned.
To be honest, if I had known it was going to be $5 off $30 anyway, I wouldn't have worked to get up to that first $30 last week anyway! Again, I am guilty of not reading the whole thing....just assumed it would be the same as last year.

I am still happy with my purchases as I got candy for my Christmas sacks, coloring books for the children's sacks, a couple of nail polishes for my teenagers sack, toys for my youngest grandchildren, and a gift for my teenager too.

I really should keep all receipts for anything that I buy for gifts so that at the end of the year I know just how much I have really spent. I know it would be WAY above what I think I am spending, even though I am a frugal type person.

God willing, this evening I will be at the quilt shop for 4 hours of sit n' sew. I will buy my son and hid girlfriend pillows and I am making them pillowcases. I spent $14 on the fabric. I bought it from the clearance fabrics. I only spent $4 and some change as I had a $10 gift card that I won. Also, I bought about a yard more fabric than I needed.
Now my oldest daughter said that her and her bf could use the same gifts.
I also ran across an unfinished wall hanging that I had bought at the member's booth of our quilt show for 50 cents. I am finishing it up to give to my mom.

I bought what I think is the last skein of yarn for the scarves that I am knitting for gifts.

I still have what feels like many gifts to think about and get! How are you coming along? I can't believe that Christmas is only 12 days away!

Frugal Friday With Marsha 5/31/13

Here we are to the end of May already.  Has this year been flying by for you?  It sure has for me!

I've been down with chronic bronchitis this past week.  I'm very glad to be feeling better and trying to get back in to the routine of things.  I'm also thankful for insurance to help pay for my prescriptions.

I will be setting up to sell at the monthly flea market this coming Sunday.  I've slowly been getting things together for that.  It's going to be about all I do now until Saturday night, as I work to get all my wares loaded into my van.  I do hope it pays off to go.   This week I've been working hard to fill up my big jar of dish scrubbies for sale.

I realized that I had $8 in Register Rewards from Walgreens that expire on Sunday.  I knew I better go use them because by Sunday I would forget!

Here is what I ended up getting on a quick, pretty well unplanned trip:

$2.08 out of pocket!  I feel pretty good about the trip.

I used 2-$1 coupons for the All along with my $8 in Register Rewards, then I applied $5 credit from my Balance Rewards.  I also used .25 that was left of my gift card I had redeemed for through mypoints.com.

I didn't come home with any more RR's, so if I want to keep shopping Walgreen's it means starting over again.  I guess that all depends on their sales  :)


I can't wait to see what you share with us this week.


 

Frugal Friday with Marsha--Uses for Epsom Salts

Happy Friday!
The sun is shining and it's already warmer out this morning than it was all day yesterday.  Maybe, just maybe spring will finally really be here??
I'm itching to get our garden going!

This past week I found myself at Walgreen's to buy a photo album for quilt guild.  I decided while I was there that it was time for me to get back into my register rewards shopping.  One of the items this week on the sale was a bag of Morton Epsom Salts for $4 and you got back the same $4 in a Register Reward to use towards your next shopping trip.
I've redeemed some of my points at mypoints.com for a $10 Walgreen's card to also help me get back in the swing of shopping there.

I've posted in the past from the 99 Cent Solutions book on the uses for Epsom Salts, but wanted to post again.  Mostly for my own benefit  :)    Did any of the rest of you go for the deal at Walgreen's as well this week?

Uses for Epsom Salt:
1.  Salt your bathwater--Add 2 cups pf Epsom salt to a tub full of warm water and soak for a few minutes.  Do this to get rid of rough patches of skin.  After soaking, finish the job by rubbing additional salt on the rough spots.

2.  Help stop stinky feet--Everyone knows that soaking your feet in Epsom salt can relieve sore feet.  Did you also know that doing so twice a day for 15 minutes each time will also make your feet sweat less and smell less?  Just add 2 cups to 2 gallons of water in a container such as a bucket or dishpan.

3.  Get rid of the itch--Soaking in a tub of Epsom salt will ease the itch of poison ivy.  Check the label for soaking instructions.

4.  Stop splinters--make a paste of Epsom salt and water and apply to the area where the splinter is.  In about 10 minutes the paste will pull the splinter to the surface.  This also works for insect stingers. Even a luxurious Epsom salt bath will help draw the splinter or stinger.

5.  Relish your roses--Sprinkle half a cup of Epsom salt around the base of your rose bush in early spring and in the fall.  After the leaves appear and again when the roses appear, spray them with a mixture of 1 tablespoon Epsom salt per gallon of water.  This will make for healthier roses----gardeners swear by it!

6.  Get rid of raccoons--Sprinkle a few tablespoons of Epsom salt around your trashcan to drive them away.  Remember to reapply after it rains. 

(Now I do wish that I had gone back and bought a second bag---and I just still may do so while I am out that way today)



 

Frugal Friday Link Up--4 Uses for Corn Starch

This week has flown by--Friday is already here.  Also, Happy Veteran's Day to all. 

I do have a couple of posts I will share in the linky this week.  What I didn't post about was my small trip to Walgreen's.  I spent $3.11 and brought home Purex detergent, 10 Christmas bags and the lip care item that was on the RR.  I rec'd $2 RR for the lip care item.  Not much but still a pretty good deal.
I buy the Christmas bags when they are on sale 10 for $1.  I need a lot more yet.  Everyone on my list will receive a bag of goodies.

I've been working on my coupons this week.  I let myself get 4 weeks behind in cutting again.  This is not a good thing!

I just thought of something else.  I re-purposed 2 pairs of my pajama pants.  I cut one leg of each in to strips for the flannel toothbrush rug I am making.  The rest I cut into rags to use for cleaning.

 Now on to the 4 uses for corn starch.  These are taken from the 99 Cent Solutions book.


1.  Untangle a shoelace.  Sprinkle the knot generously with cornstarch, and then work the knot.  The laces will start to slip and slide and you will be able to get the kinks out.


2.  Clean up oily furniture.  If you got a little enthusiastic with your lemon oil (or Scott's Liquid Gold), sprinkle cornstarch over the surface and leave it for a few minutes to absorb the excess.  Wipe up the cornstarch, then buff to a shine with a soft cloth.


3.  Remove a scorch mark.  Scorch your clothing with the iron?  Douse the scorch with water (not on the ironing board!), then rub a generous amount of corn starch into the stain.  When the cornstarch is dry, the stain will rinse out with the powder.  This also works on bloodstains, but a second treatment may be needed before washing.


4.  Make a gentle silver cleaner.  Mix cornstarch with water to make a thick paste.  Rub it on the silver and let it dry.  Buff it off with a lint-free cloth to bring up the shine.  This is a lot less harsh than chemicals and won't remove all the tarnish from a complicated pattern.  Many silver lovers prefer this because it throws a beautiful pattern into stunning relief.

Walgreen's and Wal Mart Coupon Shopping 8/20 and 8/22

I want to apologize as I didn't take photos of either of these shopping trips---I know the posts are quite as boring when you actually see what the person got for the said amount of money.

Let's start with my Walgreen's shopping today since I only bought 4 items.

I had a list in mind, but changed my mind on how much I wanted to spend once I got there.  I decided to use the majority of the $7 in RR's from last week to get us some much needed cat litter.
I ended up with:

Dial Nutriskin Body wash on sale for $3.99 with $3 back in RR's.
Sharpie pen .39 with Walgreen's coupon
Pencil Sharpener .39 with Walgreen's coupon
Scoopable cat litter $5.99
I used 3 RR's from last week totaling $7.  I paid $4.63 including .87 sales tax and came home with $3 in RR's.    Not the best trip, but less than the cat litter alone would have cost me and still $3 to spend towards next week's shopping.


Now on to Wal Mart where I bought what seemed like a ton of things!  Let's start with the items that I bought with coupons:

2 bags of Sour Patch candy, $1.97 each, used $1/2 coupon--not a real bargain at $1.47 a bag but treat for my teen.
3 packs of Trident gum at .96 each.  I used $2/3 coupon making them .28 and .29 each.
Tic Tacs at $1.04 using $1 coupon making them .04
3 regular size bags of m&m's at .74 each.  I used the $1.25/3 coupon making them .32  (couldn't help it, coupon was going to expire and I wanted a treat for myself.)
Carnation Instant Breakfast at $4.96, used $1 coupon making it $3.96
6 Travel size Garnier shampoos and conditioners at .97 each.  I used 6-$1 coupons leaving me with .18 overage.
Pert shampoo travel size for .97, used $1 coupon for .03 overage.
2 Degree travel size deoderants at .97 using 2-$1 coupons for .06 overage.
I then did also buy 2 more of the Degree using the .75 coupons making them .22 each (great stocking stuffers!)
Tide 1 load at .97, used $1 couopn for .03 overage.
3 Gain 40 ct fabric softner sheets at $1.77, used 3-$1 coupons making them .77 each.
Just for Men--used free coupon
Glade aerosol at .98 using $1 coupon for .02 overage.
2 Carefree pantyliners at .94 each, used 2-.50 coupons making them .44 each.
U by Kotex at $1.24, used $1 coupon making them .24
Bayer Advanced at $3.74 used $2 coupon making it $1.74.  Mailing in for $1.74 refund.
4 Whiskas wet cat food at .55 each, used 2- B1G1F coupons, making them .275 each.
Temptations cat treats at $1.74, used $1 coupon so .74.



Bought without coupons:
2 tee shirts on clearance for $1 each.
4 pack of Wal Mart canned cat food at $1.28
Wal Mart dry cat food at $1.50
Fabric at $1.25 for an order
Edwards 2 pack single serving pie slices at $2.38--I had a coupon for $1 off, not realizing it had expired.  I should have put these back but they sounded so good.
Deli sandwich at $2.50 (for Jasmine's lunch)
20 oz Mello Yellow at $1.48 (for Jasmine's lunch)

Here is the good news about this trip!  I spent $33.42 including sales tax but I saved $34.57 with coupons!!  That means that even with sales tax I saved over 50%.  I am very please with this!

Until next time, happy shopping and saving!

Some Small Coupon Shopping Trips

Armed with a little money I was able to do some coupon shopping this week.

First stop was Wal Mart.  I only bought 2 items, and used 2 coupons.  I used my free coupon for Jif on The Go and a $1 coupon off U by Kotex pantyliners (this made them .24).  I went with .52 change in my wallet and spent .51 of it.

Next I was off to Walgreen's.  I had $7 in RR's from a previous trip that I didn't post about to use before they expired.
I bought:
Revlon Nail polish for $3.99--rec'd back $3 in RR's
2-Sure deoderants, on sale for 2 for $3 with Walgreen's coupon and I used 2-$1 coupons making them .50 each.
Pert Plus 24.5 oz shampoo on sale for $3.99--used $1 coupon and got back $3 in RR's.
2-Brach's Mellowcreme candy on sale 2 for $3--I had one .50 coupon to use and got back $1 in RR's  making them $1.25 per bag
I used my 2 previous RR's since I didn't have a coupon for the 2nd bag of Brach's or the nail polish.
I paid $4.61 OOP with $1.13 of that being sales tax.  I walked out with $7 in RR's to spend later.  I saved a total of $12.50 with coupons and Walgreen's coupon.
Please note:  I do not count what I get back in RR's off the price since I use them as coupons on future purchases.




Next I was off to the grocery store (Dillon's) for a few items.
I bought:
3 boxes of Hamburger Helper on sale for $1 each.  I used .75/3 coupon (doubled to $1) making them 3 boxes for $2.
2- Suave deoderant at $1.06 each.  I used 2- .50 coupons (doubled) making them .06 each.
1-Idahoan boxed potatoes--used free coupon that had previously printed out at the register.
I spent $2.51 including .39 sales tax.  I saved $4 with coupons for a savings of 75% including sales.

I also want to mention a previous trip to Wal Mart as well.  I've sent my receipt off in a refund but want to talk about my good deals.


I used my free Pantene coupon for a full size conditioner.
I used 2-$2/2 any Pantane coupons to get 2 shampoo and 2 conditioner in the travel sizes.  This left me with .12 total in overage.
I bought my Carnation Instant Breakfast with a $1 coupon making it $3.96
I bought 3 canisters of Scotch Brite Botanical disenfecting wipes at $1.62 each.  I used 3-.50 coupons making them just $1.12 each.  I then sent for the buy 3 get 1 free refund check.  Taking away the .44 spent on the stamp I will net $1.18 (assuming they send the $1.62 price pre-coupon).  This makes each one of them just over .72 each!
Pull-Ups Flushable wipes using $1 coupon making them .64
This is where my memory fails me and I am kicking myself for not making notes before sending off the receipt.  I only wrote down that I saved $15.28 with coupons.  The above items total $11.28 in coupons so I'm not recalling $4 in coupons somewhere.
Anyway, I spent $25.22 and saved $15.28 in coupons so I was quite happy with my shopping.  I bought things like cat food without any coupons at all.


I plan on getting right in to my coupon shopping.  In fact, I got in 60 coupon binder pages with a bonus of 22 coupon inserts today that I bought from  http://www.momsaves.com   I'm currently going through the inserts --they are older and many of the coupons have already expired--but I'm excited to start putting my binder together.

Walgreen's Shopping 6/27/11

With less than $3 that I could spend, I was really hoping to be able to do the deal I wanted with my money.  I was afraid of getting to the store and finding the shelf empty.  Yay!  There was plenty on the shelf, along with the notice of limit 4 per customer per day.

I bought 4 of the Dove body and face wash on sale 4 for $15.
I used 2- buy 1 get one free coupons taking them down to 4 for $7.50.
I then used my 2 RR's from last week totaling $6 taking them down to just $1.50 plus sales tax.
I paid $2.17 OOP and walked out with a $5 RR for my next shopping.

Those of you who have gotten great at managing your family's tight budget may enjoy taking an online accounting class. Knowledge about money management is so valuable for our daily lives.

I'm happy!  And, I now have 4 bottle of body and face wash in my Christmas stash totes for men on my list. 

Walgreen's Shopping 6/20 (and store changes) and Wal Mart Shopping

First I want to talk about the store changes I seen at Walgreen's when I shopped yesterday.   There are now signs in front of the register rewards items that state "Limit one item per household per day"  The cashier told me this is to stop people from doing numerous transactions, allowing others to have a chance to get the products before the shelves are empty.
I know that lots of people do this.  Personally, I've only done it a few times for items we really needed and could use.  Normally in this case I make my daughter go through the line rather than myself doing more than one transaction.
Is this a nationwide change, or just my store?  I'm curious because one of the managers at my Walgreen's has been assuring me for week's that he was trying to figure out how to make it so that when I come to shop the items aren't gone.

Here is what I got:
1 Gillette Fusion razor on sale for $9.89, used $4 coupon, got back $5 in RR's
Lysol Wipes, on sale for $2.99, no coupon, got back $1 in RR's
Real Soft 4 double roll pack, $2.29, no coupon (I went to get the Charmin 6 double rolls on sale for $2.99 with Walgreen's coupon only to be told that item was discontinued)
5 boxes of Royal gelatin, on sale for .19 each.  I used $1/5 coupon that they took down to the .95 off.

In addition, I used $11 in RR's from my previous shopping.  I paid just $1.47 OOP ($1.30 of that was sales tax) and took home $6 in RR's.   I call this a sucessful trip!     I was able to get cleaning wipes that I wanted, toilet paper that we needed, a razor to put in my Christmas stash box, and free gelatin.

 Now, on to Wal Mart.  I didn't have many of the coupons in my box that were to match up for the bargains, but I did get a few things.  My breakfast drink went up from $4.58 to $4.96, but that is still $2 cheaper than at the grocery store.  I was glad to be able to print $1.25 coupons from their facebook page!


I purchased:
5 ct Zrtex, $5.27, used $5 coupon that I printed from the Walmart website
2- Carefree pantyliners, .94, used 2-.50 coupons
Carnation Instant Breakfast, $4.96, used $1.25 coupon


I paid $5.83 OOP of which .97 was sales tax.  Not bad.   I'm enjoying how much easier it is to use coupons at Wal Mart now and since that is where I buy my breakfast drink since it's so much cheaper, I am now watching for the posts on the deals there.

 Until next time,

Frugal Friday 6/10/11

Good Morning!
Friday came right up on me very quickly again. Being so busy this past week with a new grandbaby, I didn't get my shopping posts in so I will list them here.
We didn't do any shopping at the grocery store other than stopping in for milk a couple of times.
Well, that's not exactly true. I did take advantage of the sale on soda. The deal was if you bought 3-12 packs of Coke products for $10 you got 2 boxes of Ritz crackers free. We drink Dr. Pepper, which here is considered a Coke product. I bought the 3 12 packs and picked up the 2 boxes of Ritz free. I used a $1 coupon on the 2 boxes of Ritz so I got 3-12 packs of Dr. Pepper and 2 boxes of Ritz for just $9 plus sales tax.

Another quick trip to the grocery store was to use my free coupons from Kraft First Taste for the Oscar Mayer Sandwich Combo and the Combo lunch meat. I also picked up some All detergent on sale for $2.99 and I used a $1 coupon. The cashier cheated me out of .30 on one of the free OM coupons and I ended up paying $3.18 with sales tax for the 3 items.

At Wal Mart I picked up my box of Carnation Instant Breakfast for $3.58 after $1 coupon. I also picked up 3 more bottles of the Spic and Span spray cleaner. I used the $1/2 coupon so 2 of the bottles were .47 each. On the 3rd bottle I used a .55 coupon so that bottle was .42. I also picked up 3 skeins of cotton yarn on clearance for $1 each. I spent $8.58 total for all with sales tax. (I hope when I get back to Wal Mart this evening to buy more of the yarn!)

At Walgreen's I over spent on what a true frugal person would spend. I was shopping yesterday (Thursday) and figured they would be out of a lot, so a stack of coupons and no set plan on what to buy. Here is what I ended up with:

2-NatureLuxe Gloss Balms on sale for buy 1 get 1 50% off. I used $5/2 coupon making them $3.12 each.
Bic Soleil on sale for $5.99, used $3 coupon making them $2.99 and got back $2 in RR's
2-GLEE stationary on clearance for .25 (fillers to use my RR's)
2-Colgate 360 toothbrushes on sale 2 for $5, used $1 and .75 coupons making them $3.25 for 2, got back $2 in RR's.
2-Reach Toothbrush 2-packs on sale 2 for $5, used 2-$1 coupons making them $1.50 each, got back $3 in RR's....but, bonus RR's of $1 since I bought the 2-packs!
3-Cascade Action Pacs on sale for $3.99, used 2--.50 coupons and 1-.25 coupon making them $3.49 and $3.74, got back $3 in RR's. (I wanted one of the Tide Stain Release and the use the $3 coupon but of course they were sold out)
1-Travel Size Colgate toothpaste for .99 and I used a $1 coupon making it free.

I used 3 RR's totaling $5.50 from my previous shopping.
I paid $24.45 (told you it was too much!) of which $3.27 was sales tax. I saved $19.50 in coupons total. I rec'd back 5 RR's totaling $11.

Notes: I'm happy with my shopping, it's just that I didn't really have that kind of money to spend. However, it's a fair bet that everyone on my Christmas list this year will get a new toothbrush as part of their health and beauty package. I have gloss balm that I love to use. And, I don't have to worry about running out of dishwasher tabs for awhile. The razors are also stacking up in my gift tote to go with the packages as well.
Also, it was very strange, but I had the gloss balms in my hand and they hadn't gotten rung up, but the $5 coupon went through the register just fine. This I can't figure out. I know the whole family friendly coupon thing and I did have other P&G things in my cart, but I also had a coupon for each of the other items? It was when I ran out of products compared to coupons that I realized they were still in my hand and gave them to the cashier.

I'm going to stop for today. I do hope you will share your frugal type posts in my linky below! Keep us all inspired and in the know please.

Frugal Friday Blog Hop 6/3/11

Pretty much the same to report--hanging laundry on the clothesline to dry, we took some spinach from the garden, and we also picked a few strawberries as well. I can't wait until the strawberries are thick enough we can actually pick enough for a whole meal. That won't happen until at least next season, maybe even 2 seasons from now.

We didn't do much in the way of shopping. We only bought just a couple of gallons of milk throughout the week at the grocery store. I also bought 2 boxes of Blue Bonnet stick margarine on sale for .69 each.
I did use some coupons at Wal Mart. I bought my Carnation Instant Breakfast with $1 coupon making it $3.58 (It sells for $6.99 at the grocery, so I always try to buy it at Wal Mart.) I also used 2-$1/2 coupons on Bar S franks so got those for .25 a package.

I went to Walgreen's for a few things. I have a story to tell with that. Not long after I walked in the store, one of the store managers approached me with ad in hand. This is the same manager who is there 9 out of 10 times when I shop and knows that I am there for the RR's mostly, and that I am going to ask him where to find something or to check if they have any more of something in the back. He told me right away what they were out of and then took me around the store and showed me where the other items were. He commented to me that they are trying hard to make sure they have enough stock for the ads, but that it's very difficult. He said that ever since the Extreme Couponing show came out it's gotten even harder. Then he commented that he knows I was doing the coupon shopping way before the show came out.

Here is what I ended up buying:
Listerine Pocket Packs for $2.99--$2 back in RR's
Illy's Cappacino for $2--$2 back in RR's
Goody's Headache Powders for $1.50--$1.50 back in RR's.
I had $6.50 in RR's from the week before and my total was $6.49 so I headed to the clearance shelf. I should have just gotten one of the .10 items but they had underwear on clearance for .75 a pair. Yeah, since I wanted some new, I went that route. I paid $1.32 OOP including sales tax and came home with $5.50 total in RR's for next time.

We did buy a car this past week. My friend and her hubby got a new car so they sold us his work car for $200. It's a 1993 Ford Escort. Bad thing, it's a 5-speed and I don't know how to drive it....in fact....I'm feeling really nervous about even learning to drive it. However, if I can, it does run well as they take very good care of their vehicles motors and it gets over twice the miles per gallon as my Town Car.

I do hope you will link up any blog posts you've done this past week with your savings, freebie offers, shopping trips, menu plans etc. I do love to read these types of posts to keep me inspired and I know that others like to read them as well. Please pass the word on about the linky. Thanks!!

Walgreen's and A Little More Grocery Shopping 3/23/11

I made my trip to Walgreen's this morning.  I only bought 3 items:
Pure Silk shave cream on sale for $1.99 with $1.50 back in RR's
Tone Body Wash on sale for $3.99 with $3 back in RR's
Scunchi hair ties on sale for $2 with $2 back in RR's.

I didn't have any coupons, but I used my $4.50 in RR's from my previous trip.  I spent $4.12 out of pocket and got back $6.50 in RR's for my next shopping, so I am happy.


Yesterday while shopping I had seen that the Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce was on sale for just $1 a bottle.  I passed it by but once home and cutting and sorting the coupons from yesterday paper, I noticed a $1 off coupon.  I had 2.  I started on my little trek of seeing what else to buy.

I ended up buying:
Driscoll Strawberries, $2.50, used .50 coupon printed from their website making them $1.50
2- Fancy Feast Medleys cat food, used free coupon from recycle bank
2- Suave deoderant, regular price of $1.06, used 2-.50 coupons making them just .06 each
2-Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, on sale for $1, used 2-$1 coupons.

I paid just $2.12 out of pocket.  I used a total of $6.98 in coupons.  87% savings including sales and coupons!  You know I had to do it!

Pictured are the items from both trips.

Happy Shopping!

Walgreen's and Wal Mart Shopping 5/16/11

At Walgreen's:

Sure deoderant--on sale with Walgreen's coupon for $1.50--used $1 coupon making it .50
Dove for Men Deoderant, on sale for $3.99--used $1 coupon  making it $2.99 and got $3 back in RR's making it a 1 cent money maker.
Finish Gel Tabs--on sale for $3.49, used .75 coupon making it $2.74 and got back $1.50 in RR's.

I spent $6.95 and saved $4.24 with coupons, plus have $4.50 in RR's for my next trip.

I had intended to make this a 2 transaction trip, however, I had planned Duncan Hines brownie mix on sale for $1 and to use a .50 coupon, and the Dole Fruit Crisps on sale for $1 and use a .75 coupon.  Oh, go figure, my Walgreen's doesn't carry either of those products.   I'm thinking it's time to write a letter to Walgreen's corporate.  I'm going to complain about this as well as complain about them always being out of the sale items that are the best deals!


I then had a thought!  Hey, I'm heading to Wal Mart, so I will take my 2 coupons and the Walgreen's ad and get Wal Mart to price match those 2 items.  Great plan until I realized as we were pulling in to Wal Mart that I left the ad at home!  GGRRRRR  go me....I'm so good at messing my shopping up.

Anyway, here is what I ended up with at Wal-Mart:

Carnation Instant Breakfast, $4.58, used $1 coupon making it $3.58
2-Wilkinson 4 pack razors for ..97 each.  I used 2-$1 coupons making them free.
2-Spic and Span spray cleaner for .97 each, used $1/2 coupon making them just .47 each.
3 pack of Ivory Soap for .97, used $1 coupon making it free.

I spent $5.19 and saved $5 with coupons.  I'm pretty impressed on this one.  I do like how as of yet, the cashier just checks the coupon when the register tells her too and even though the item was .97, still takes off the $1.  I'm enjoying looking for the good deals at Wal-Mart online now.
Not to mention....I printed 4 of the coupons from Inboxdollars so will get .10 each into my account.

Thanks for reading!

 

New!! Frugal Friday's With Marsha Blog Hop

I've decided to start something new for Friday here on my blog. I hope many will hop along and inspire us all to be as frugal as we can be.

Each week I will share some of the things I've done to be frugal.

Let me start with my grocery shopping this past week. The first trip wasn't as frugal as it should have been, or could have been. I had gone through the Dillon's sales ad and pulled out matching coupons. Steve gave me $40 to spend. I ended up going over that, spending $50.49. I used a total of $27.69 in coupons and my receipt tells me that I saved 55% with sales and coupons. Anything over 50% is pretty good, but I want to strive for more than that.
I won't bore you with the whole list, but here are some of the really good deals:
Keep in mind that my store does double coupons.
*Half gallons of milk were on sale for $1 each, I bought 2.
*Butterfinger Crisp candy bars on close out for .53 each, I bought 2 and used a .50/2 coupon so just .03 each.
*Tostito Chips on sale for $2.99, used $1 coupon so $1.99
*Tostitos Spinach Dip on sale for $2.99, used $1 coupon, so $1.99
*Pepsi Max 2 ltr was free using a coupon buy 2 Tostitos products get it free. The cashier took off $1.25 although it was on sale for .74 so that meant extra off the total bill.
*1 Gatorade, 1 Gatorade G2, and 1 Gatorade Prime--Gatorade on sale for .79, other 2 on sale $1 each. I used a coupon to buy the latter 2, get the Gatorade free. he cashier took off $1.69 instead of the .79 for the free Gatorade, making each one just .30.
*2 Ortego Taco Seasoning on sale for $1 each, used $1/2 coupon making them .50 each.
*3 Crest Toothpaste on sale for $1 each, used 2-$1 coupons and 1-.50 coupon making them all free.
*2 Schick disposable razors, on sale buy 1 get one free making them $3.19 each. I used 2-$2 coupons making them just $1.19 each.
*2 California Kitchen Pizza's on sale for $5 each, used 2-$1.25 coupons bringing them down to $3.75 and I got back a $1 catalina.

The following day I went back to the store for just a few items:
*2 Splenda 80 ct packet boxes on sale for $4.29. I used 2-$3 coupons making them $1.29 each plus I got back a $3 Catalina.
*3 Hershey's chocolate bars on sale buy 2 get 1 free (.89 each) In combination with the sale, I used a buy 1 get 1 free coupon, so I paid .89 for all three.
I also used my $1 catalina from the previous day.
I paid $3.34 with tax, saving 77% with coupons and sales--much more like it.

The following day I made one more trip on this sale.
*4 Tony's smaller pizzas, on sale for $1 each. I used 1-$1/2 coupon and 1-.50/2 coupon bringing them down to .50 each.
*2 Delmonte Fruit cups on sale for $1 each, used $1/2 coupon making them .50 each.
* 1 Yoplait Whips, used free coupon
*2 Butterfinger Crisp candy bars on close out for .53 each, used .50/2 coupon making them .03 each.
*2 half gallons of milk on sale for $1 each.
I also used the $3 catalina coupon from the day before.
I paid $2.76, saving 87% with sales and coupons (this is how I would love it to be each and every shopping trip.)

In other shopping I made 2 transactions at Walgreen's. No super super savings here either, but I still would like to share.
Transaction #1--
*Bic Soleil razors, $5.99, used $3 coupon and got back $3 in RR.
*Noxema razors, $3.99, used $1 coupon and got back $2 RR.
I paid $6.78 and took my $5 in RR's to my--

Transaction #2--
*Wine Out stain remover, on clearance for .75
*Mints, .79 (these 2 my fillers to use the previous RR's)
*Tylenol Precise Heat, $7.99, used $5 coupon in combination with $3 Walgreen's coupon for a 1 cent money maker.
*2 Covergirl Nature Luxe foundation, $12.99, on sale buy 1 get 1 half price, I used 2-$2 coupons, bring the total with sale to $7.74 each.
I then used my $5 in RR's from the first transaction.
I paid $14.35. This was after a total of $17 in coupons. This still means that I saved over 50% No, I'm not really proud of this, but this make-up is the bomb and after using it as a bzzagent I wanted more, and one for my daughter too!

Another thing that I am doing in our new house to save money is hanging the laundry on the line to dry whenever the weather has been permissable. I'm thankful that I should be able to the rest of the season and summer now. I fell in love with this house first for having a clothesline in the back yard!

Please add my button to your blog roll if you can, or to your post if you plan on doing this with us regularly on Friday's. Thanks!!

Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 4

Welcome to Week 4 of the Drugstore Bootstrap challenge for the month of February.  The challenge is posted by Frugal Follies and you can find the post here.

We only have Walgreen's here.

My Rules:
1.  I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.
2.  Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.
3.  I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.
4.  I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

As you know, I blew the $10 OOP for the month after the 3rd week of shopping.  Also as you know, we are closing on our house next week.  Since I blew it, I decided to not worry about it too much, and most all I bought this week is now packed to moved to our new home.  I still feel like I did pretty well!

I bought:
RePhresh Tampons, on sale for $5.99, used $1 coupon and got back $5 in RR's.
2-Clorox Clean Up Wipes in sale 2 for $6, got back $2 in RR's
2 Ziploc freezer bags, on sale 2 for $5 with Walgreen's coupon and I used $1/2 coupon
Dove Deoderant, on sale for $1.99 with Walgreen's coupon and I used a $2 coupon
2 Glade Relax spray, on sale 2 for $5, used 2-$1 coupons and got back $1 in RR's.
I then used my $10 in RR's from the previous week.


I paid $7.98 OOP (not including sales tax), saved $18.58 total in coupons (including Walgreen's coupons), and have $8 total is RR's for my next shopping.


This brings my total OOP for the month to $21.65.  I still feel good about it since over the month I now have several items for our new home.


What will the March challenge be?

Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 3

Week 2 of the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge put on by Frugal Follies. You can find her challenge information here.

Here are the rules that I set for myself:
Here are the "rules" I am trying to follow:
1. I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.
2. Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.
3. I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.
4. I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

If you recall, I was already up to $6.73 of the $10 out of pocket for the month challenge.  I blew that with one week left, but oh well, it's been fun.

This week I bought:

1-Renuzit Fabric Freshner Spray--these are on sale buy 1 for $2.99, get 1 free.  There was only 1 left on the shelf so the manager let me have it for half price--I used $1 coupon making it just .49

1- Reach Total Care Dental Floss--on sale for $2.99, used $1 coupon, got back $2 in RR's.

1-Skintimate Shave Gel--on sale for $2.49, used $1 coupon, got back $1 in RR's.

1-Lysol No Touch Hand Soap Dispenser--$11.99, used $3 coupon and got back $7 in RR's.

2-Tuf paper towels--on sale .49 each with Walgreen's coupons (these were my fillers to be able to use my 2 RR's from the previous week)

I had a total of $14 in coupon savings.

In total before taxes, and after coupons came to $6.94 out of pocket.   This isn't bad at all really, especially since I took home a total of $10 in RR's to use next time.

This brings my total for the month so far, out of pocket, to  $13.67.   Do you think I can maybe just not spend more than $15 OOP instead of $10 with next weeks shopping included?

The Lysol hand soap, paper towels, floss, Renuzit, and Skintimate are all packed in a box to move to our new house.


Steve went with me to Walgreen's as we had just been to the realtor's office down the street signing more papers on the house.  He found them to have laptop caddy trays marked half price.  He knew we each needed one for at our new home.  $12.49 each, or a total of $40.48 with tax for 3 of them.  They are staying in their boxes until we move.  I think they will be very cool to have and use with our laptops and work even better than the tv trays we currently move all over the house with us.


Have a great day, and happy coupon shopping!

Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 2

Week 2 of the Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge put on by Frugal Follies. You can find her challenge information here.

You can find my week 1 post here.

Here are the "rules" I am trying to follow:
1. I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.
2. Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.
3. I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.
4. I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

My total spent out of pocket last week was $2.76

Today was not a very well planned trip. I had started figuring a list Sunday morning at church. Unfortunately I discovered this morning that I must have left my Sunday paper (coupons and all...youch!) at church, under my pew.
I searched blogs trying to see what was on sale and the deals. I made a list of just 3 items.
Once at the store I changed my mind and this is what I ended up with:

Veripur Hand Sanitizer, on sale for $3.99...$4 back in RR.

Right Gueard Total Defense 5 Body Wash, on sale for $3.99, had $1 peelie coupon on the bottle and I got back $3 in RR.

2-All laundry detergent--on sale buy one for $6.99, get 1 free. I used $1 coupon.(this came about because this is Steve's favorite laundry soap, so it replaced the Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice that I did have on my list.)

I then also used the $9 in RR's that I had from last week.

I paid $3.97 OOP (not including sales tax) and I came home with $7 in RR's for next time.

This brings my running total for the challenge to $6.73. If I'm going to meet the challenge and not spend more than $10 OOP, it's really going to be a challenge over the next 2 weeks.

Drugstore Bootstrap Challenge Week 1

I have decided to take part in the Drugstore Bootstrap challenge for the month of February.  The challenge is posted by Frugal Follies and you can find the post here.

We only have Walgreen's here.

My Rules:

1.  I can spend no more than $10 out of pocket the whole month.

2.  Sales tax does not count in the $10 total.

3.  I can start with the $5 in register rewards that I have on hand.

4.  I can use any coupons that I can, and they also do not count in the total, as the total is just out of pocket.

So....I made my first trip this week for the month.  I had $5 total is register rewards on hand from my last trip last month.

I did 2 transactions.  I didn't intend to do 2, but it worked out better anyway.  I couldn't find one thing that I wanted so while I waited on the manager to fetch it for me I went ahead and checked out.

Transaction #1:

Arnicare Gel, on sale for $5.99, used $2 coupon, got back $6 in register rewards. (money maker!)
Natrol Melatonin, on sale for $3, got back $3 in register rewards (there was supposed to be a coupon for this, but par for the course, I sure didn't have one in my file box.)
2- Nestle Butterfinger Snackers--regularly .89 each--I used a $1/2 coupon and then gave them the Walgreen's coupon taking off another .81 (money maker!)


I paid just $1.77 (not including sales tax) and got back $9 in register rewards.  I used the $5 in register rewards that I had on hand.


Transaction #2:


Icy Hot Vapor Gel--on sale for $3.99,  I used $3 of my register rewards from transaction #1.


I paid .99 (not including sales tax)

Running total out of pocket for the month:  $2.76 

I feel I am starting out pretty well and should be able to meet the challenge.


Until next week----Happy shopping and saving!!

I went home with $9 total in register rewards to use on my next trip.

 

 

Walgreen's Shopping 11/29/10--Big Savings!

Well....I scoured blogs most of Sunday looking for what might be good deals at Walgreen's.  I got some ideas.  Remember, I had $41.23 total in 12 Jingle Cash (register rewards) to play with.
I put together a list....it would have cost me too much in the long run.  I took off a couple of things that I really wanted and replaced them with cheap fillers.
I headed to Walgreen's this morning, in hopes that everything on my list was in the store.  It was, but I had the Motions Hair Care on my list.  No coupons, but buying 3 for $10 would have given me  back $5 in Jingle Cash.  Once there I realized it was in the ethnic section, so decided against getting it.  Of course, that messed up my list, but I decided to just head on to the register with coupons in hand, and just use as many of the Jingle Cash that the register would allow me to use.  (you can't use them to cover any part of the sales tax.)

In the end I spent $5.22, of which  $4.28 of that was sales tax.   I still have $6.99 total in Jingle Cash to use, and I got $16 total in Jingle Cash from this transaction.

I know that many do several transactions, but for me that is too confusing so I try to just done one. (Unless I am sending Jasmine and/or Steve through the line for a really great deal)

I'm kicking myself as I scanned everything for homescan and put it all away without taking a photo!!  ugh!!

Here is what I came home with:
Life Cereal and Cap'n Crunch Cereal--on sale 2 for $5, with $2 back in Jingle Cash
2-Walgreen's Pantyliners, on sale for 2 for $1 with Walgreen's coupon
2-Vick's Sinex, on sale 2 for $10.  I used 2-$4 off coupons and got back $5 in Jingle Cash.  I also combined a buy 2 Vick's products get Free Puffs coupon with the purchase so got a box of Puffs free.
3-Disney Mini Puzzles--on sale for .39 each with Walgreen's coupon
2-Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice, on sale 2 for $6, used $2/2 coupon and $1/2 Walgreen's coupon
Salonpas Pain Patches, $5.99 with $6 back in Jingle Cash
40 ct security envelopes, on sale for .59 with Walgreen's coupon
1 Reese's snack size 19.75 oz and 1 Kisses Candy Cane 17.80 oz, on sale 2 for $8, used $1 coupon and got back $2 in Jingle Cash
3 Eclipse Gum, on sale 3 for $2 and got back $1 in Jingle Cash
Carmex lip balm, on sale for $1 with Walgreen's coupon, used .30 coupon
Gillette Fusion Power Glide razor, on sale for $9.99, used $4 coupon and got back $4 in Jingle Cash  (OMG!  I just realized I didn't get the $4 Jingle Cash for buying the razor...will have to stop in and ask about it)
Dawn Dish soap, on sale for .99 with Walgreen's coupon and used .25 coupon.

Receipt shows that I saved $3.51 with WAG coupons
$19.80 on sale items and
$52.28 in manufacturer's coupons!!!   Total savings of $75.59.
Let me figure, not including taking off for the advertised prices, just the savings in Walgreen's and Manufacturers coupons, I saved a whopping $55.79!!

Help me out here please.  My brain is not in a math mood and for the life of me I can't remember how to figure what my percentage savings is.  I would like to know both including the savings with sale prices as well as not including the savings with sale prices please. (and when the receipt shows the savings, does that take into consideration the $4.28 in sales tax or not?  If not, I would have only spent .94 without sales tax.) Thanks!!!

Walgreen's--Black Friday Sales and Jingle Cash

(yes, I feel I went overboard, but would have liked to have bought it all!!)

Well....I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to find coupons to match the sales at Walgreen's.  As usual, I didn't find all I wanted to, and some that were printable had already reached their limit.
I made a list.......then realized I didn't have time to go yesterday.  I didn't stick to the list, adding in extras as I seen them.  I couldn't help it knowing how much Jingle Cash I would be getting back.

I woke up this morning and asked Steve to take me.  On the way there I asked him how many of the things I wanted to get did he think they would be out of?  He guessed probably most of them and so did I.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that for a change, they were actually stocked up!  In fact, they had all the free after Jingle Cash (what they are calling the register rewards for the holidays) on one end cap.  The .99 cent items after Jingle Cash were all on another end cap.

Anyway here is what I got:
Gillette Fusion Pro-Series Skin Care--$5.49 with $5.50 back in Jingle Cash (referred to as JC throughout the rest of this post)
Nivea For Men Shave Gel--$2.99 with $3 back in JC  (this is one I couldn't get the coupon for)
A&W Root Beer 2 ltr.  on sale for .99 with .99 back in JC
Old Spice Fresh Collection Body Spray--$3.99 with $4 back in JC  (another one I couldn't find the buy 1 get 1 free coupon they said was out)
Secret Scent Sensations Body Splash--$3.49 with $3.50 back in JC
Scunci Hair Elastics  $1.99 with $2 back in JC
Just for Men 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner--$4.99, used $2 coupon and got back $5 in JC
Gum Eez-Thru Flossers 90 pack (my pack is bonus of 120)  $2.25, used .75 coupon and got back $2.25 in JC
Advil PM 4 ct--.99 and got back .99 JC
Thermacare Heat Wraps--$2.49, used $1 coupon, got back $2.50 in JC
Olay Body Wash--$3.49, used $1 coupon, got back $2.50 in JC
Cover Girl Mascara $3.99, used $1 coupon, got back $2 in JC
Bic Soleil Disposable razors--$2.99, used $2 coupon and got back $2 in JC
Noxema skin care scrub--$3.99, got back $3 in JC
Right Guard Total Defense--$2.99--used buy 1 get 1 free coupon to get an extra one free, got back $2 in JC
I also bought a Nivea for Men Body wash and Nivea for Women Body wash.  I had a rain check from a previous sale of 2 for $5.  I then used a $3 coupon and a $2 coupon making them free.


So....yikes!  My total was $44.87 after using $15.74 in coupons. I use the $10 gift card I had gotten in from mypoints.  I paid the rest of out of my paypal.    $4.52 of my total was sales tax.

I now have a total of 15 Jingle Cash's, totaling a value of $41.23. 
This is going to be a challenge to use these.  Those who use RR's know that the ones from the Proctor and Gamble products don't allow you to use them on P&G products.  Plus, they have to be used by Dec. 10 when they expire.

So, I am now on a mission to get all my coupons cut and filed.  Then I will watch for what is on sale and what I can get the best deals with, hopefully not paying much more than the sales tax, and getting back more to spend later.  When I said back in business with Walgreen's, that is what I meant....to be able to keep turning them in to more while getting great deals along the way.


Earlier this week Steve and I went to Walgreen's and bought the 6 ft. Pre-Lit Christmas tree that is on sale for $19.99.  We also bought the wrapping paper on sale buy one roll for $1.99 get 2 rolls free.   I put the tree up today.  It's nice to have a bit of a larger one than the 3 ft one we borrowed last year from his sister.  It's a skinny tree, so I found a corner to fit it in.

P.S.  The majority of what I bought will be included in with Christmas gifts that I give.