I got free things! Twice this week I have opened the mail box to find free things. Things I signed up for online. Wal-Mart gives a lot of free samples away. Right now I think I have signed up for at least another six on their website. They mail them rather quickly, and in nice litttle blue boxes.
On Monday I received my free sample of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Heavy Duty which was a full size magic eraser. The heavy dute ones are now my new favorite, as they hold up much longer than the old ones, it worked great on cleaning my dirty stove top yesterday!
I also received dishwasher detergent. Two Cascade Complete Gel Packs. Nice!
Today I received one roll of Scott Extra Soft toilet paper. One whole roll, that will actually last a few days. Awesome.
Each of the items also came with good coupons towards buying those items in the future. $3 of coupons is not something to laugh at for sure.
It is fun getting free things and coupons in the mail!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Birthday Fun
Joey's birthday is this coming Tuesday. Happy Birthday!
He decided to celebrate his birthday a bit over his Labor Day holiday from school, so we went out to dinner then. He chose to go to Umi which we now reserve for very special occassions. It was nice, though not as nice as it once was. The food was good though, and it made Gabbie happy as well, since that is also her favorite dumpling restaurant.
After we had dinner out I felt bad and wasn't sure about gifts for him. My mom and dad gave him two nice short sleeve button up shirts that he really likes. My mom is finally figuring out what to give him as gifts. yay!
So yesterday he mentioned in passing that he would really love to have matching socks. Matching socks with no holes. And underwear that he liked. Basically all new underwear and socks and such. So I got an idea. I had coupons for underwear! Seriously. I did. From Fruit of the Loom. Coupons for $1 off of two items.
While Joey was at clinic, we headed to Wal-Mart and bought his gift. I found four packs of underwear, but then even better, 2 packs of underwear. Better because they were the same price per item as the bigger packs, but would allow me to use more coupons on them! Ha ha! So he got 7 new pairs of underwear, 2 new undershirts, 8 new pairs of tall socks, 6 new pairs of short socks, and 5 new pairs of black socks. And a new hip pack, also known as the fanny pack. And all of this fun cost $40. For a brand new underwear drawer, I call this a smash hit! And since this is a practical but slightly boring present, I also gave him money for new sunglasses and a new cell phone cover which he had requested. All the presents from us he actually needed, but they are also appreciated and will be enjoyed.
All in all, a very unique birthday present.
He decided to celebrate his birthday a bit over his Labor Day holiday from school, so we went out to dinner then. He chose to go to Umi which we now reserve for very special occassions. It was nice, though not as nice as it once was. The food was good though, and it made Gabbie happy as well, since that is also her favorite dumpling restaurant.
After we had dinner out I felt bad and wasn't sure about gifts for him. My mom and dad gave him two nice short sleeve button up shirts that he really likes. My mom is finally figuring out what to give him as gifts. yay!
So yesterday he mentioned in passing that he would really love to have matching socks. Matching socks with no holes. And underwear that he liked. Basically all new underwear and socks and such. So I got an idea. I had coupons for underwear! Seriously. I did. From Fruit of the Loom. Coupons for $1 off of two items.
While Joey was at clinic, we headed to Wal-Mart and bought his gift. I found four packs of underwear, but then even better, 2 packs of underwear. Better because they were the same price per item as the bigger packs, but would allow me to use more coupons on them! Ha ha! So he got 7 new pairs of underwear, 2 new undershirts, 8 new pairs of tall socks, 6 new pairs of short socks, and 5 new pairs of black socks. And a new hip pack, also known as the fanny pack. And all of this fun cost $40. For a brand new underwear drawer, I call this a smash hit! And since this is a practical but slightly boring present, I also gave him money for new sunglasses and a new cell phone cover which he had requested. All the presents from us he actually needed, but they are also appreciated and will be enjoyed.
All in all, a very unique birthday present.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Walgreens 9/11/08
Well, I did pretty well today, only one mistake. I meant to pick up the Excedrin Express Gels that have a free after rebate deal on them. For whatever reason I picked up extra strength tablets instead. Which were more expensive and have no deal on them whatsoever, so I am returning those and not reporting them in my totals for today.
I bought 3 Robitussin syrups, each on sale for $3.99, with a coupon for $3.00 off each one, and then they gave me $10 in RR for buying them, making me $7.00!
I also bought 3 Chex Mix on sale for $.99 with 3 $.50 coupons.
Then the last item was Walgreens Acid Control Complete for $7.99 on sale that is free after rebate. I really need this, as I have been fighting heartburn a lot lately.
Regular Retail Total: $37.50
Sales Savings: $13.32
Coupon Savings: $10.50
Register Rewards used: $5.00
Total Cash handed out: $9.50 or so
Rebates earned: $7.99
Register Rewards: $10.00
Coupon for more acid controller: $2.00
Meaning, today I spent $1.50 that I will never see in cash form today, and now have been paid $8.50 for shopping!!
Also, lesson learned today, you have to have as many items as you have coupons. I had 8 items, 6 of them with coupons. I also had 3 RR coupons to use, but could only use 2 because otherwise the number of coupons exceeded the number of items purchased. So grab a couple more cheap items or something! ha ha!
I bought 3 Robitussin syrups, each on sale for $3.99, with a coupon for $3.00 off each one, and then they gave me $10 in RR for buying them, making me $7.00!
I also bought 3 Chex Mix on sale for $.99 with 3 $.50 coupons.
Then the last item was Walgreens Acid Control Complete for $7.99 on sale that is free after rebate. I really need this, as I have been fighting heartburn a lot lately.
Regular Retail Total: $37.50
Sales Savings: $13.32
Coupon Savings: $10.50
Register Rewards used: $5.00
Total Cash handed out: $9.50 or so
Rebates earned: $7.99
Register Rewards: $10.00
Coupon for more acid controller: $2.00
Meaning, today I spent $1.50 that I will never see in cash form today, and now have been paid $8.50 for shopping!!
Also, lesson learned today, you have to have as many items as you have coupons. I had 8 items, 6 of them with coupons. I also had 3 RR coupons to use, but could only use 2 because otherwise the number of coupons exceeded the number of items purchased. So grab a couple more cheap items or something! ha ha!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Walgreens!
So I made my weekly trek to Walgreens. Here is what I got.
2 boxes of Kellogg Smart Start at 2/$5 with 2 $1/1 MFG coupons, they were $1.50 each, much cheaper than even Wally world!
2 Downy Ultra Fabric Softeners $3.50 each
1 Crest ProHealth FAR
1 Tide-2-Go Pen $2.15
3 Gillette Shave Gel $1.45 each
1 Lipsyl lipbalm FAR
1 Revlon Gel Nail Hardener FAR
2 Pantene Expressions $2.50 each
Total worth of products: $59
Total after Walgreens sales: $40
After coupons: $31
With tax: $34
Register Rewards: $7
Rebates: $9.50
Money I will never see again: $17.50
Savings: %70
2 boxes of Kellogg Smart Start at 2/$5 with 2 $1/1 MFG coupons, they were $1.50 each, much cheaper than even Wally world!
2 Downy Ultra Fabric Softeners $3.50 each
1 Crest ProHealth FAR
1 Tide-2-Go Pen $2.15
3 Gillette Shave Gel $1.45 each
1 Lipsyl lipbalm FAR
1 Revlon Gel Nail Hardener FAR
2 Pantene Expressions $2.50 each
Total worth of products: $59
Total after Walgreens sales: $40
After coupons: $31
With tax: $34
Register Rewards: $7
Rebates: $9.50
Money I will never see again: $17.50
Savings: %70
Wal-Mart trip!
Yesterday I realized that I should probably make a wal-mart trip. It was the beginning of the month, and we were out of a few things, like milk, juice, bread. Also, it dawned on me that yesterday was the last day of our self-imposed "vacation." Meaning today Joey went back to school after a week off for labor day. So yesterday was the last day for awhile where I could go to Wal-Mart all by myself. Which is always appreciated. And now that I am using coupons, even more appreciated!
I was very happy with my trip to Wal-Mart. Thanks to stockpiling on cosmetics and such, I had no need for the pharmacy and cosmetics section, which usually always cost me big bucks. I used a coupon on almost everything I bought, other than milk, bread, produce and meat. I bought very little meat, just what we need for another 2 weeks, and after that I will probably go get more at Aldis.
All in all I bought 97 items. Total before discounts $194. Rollbacks at WalMart: $6. Coupons: $26. Total including taxes: $162. PLUS I have the Kelloggs $10 rebate coming for this purchase, so I actually spent $152 that I will not see again. My goal was to spend $150 and I got pretty close. This was a cart that was overflowing and that I have easily paid $250 for in the past. So I was happy.
However, I did make a couple of mistakes. I forgot to give the cashier my coupons for my free wheat thins and dressing, meaning I paid $7 more than I needed to. Oh well. We will eat them and get free ones next time!
I was a little worried at the check out counter though when the cashier didn't want to use my internet coupons. She said a lady recently came in and bought a lot of groceries for only $.96 using lots of coupons. Later it was discovered that the coupons she used were all copies of interenet coupons. Meaning they were worthless. Rrrr!
Thankfully my cashier was nice and called over her manager to look at my coupons and approve that they were legitimate, which she did, and all was well again. I can get some coupons online consisitently, that I just don't see anywhere else.
When I came home I started cleaning out my cabinets to make room for all my new food. That is when I decided to get rid of some of our canned goods that we don't like or won't use, or someone else gave us. It was such a great feeling! I was happily giving away food for someone else to use and enjoy. And I wasn't worried. I wasn't worried that this was going to hurt us, instead it freed us! Now that I don't worry about what we will eat, because I will always be able to get a good deal somewhere, and we are stockpiling, I can freely give to others that do have a need. And my cabinet is now filled with food we like and will eat, not just leftovers from others pantries! Yay! Yesterday was a good frugal day.
I was very happy with my trip to Wal-Mart. Thanks to stockpiling on cosmetics and such, I had no need for the pharmacy and cosmetics section, which usually always cost me big bucks. I used a coupon on almost everything I bought, other than milk, bread, produce and meat. I bought very little meat, just what we need for another 2 weeks, and after that I will probably go get more at Aldis.
All in all I bought 97 items. Total before discounts $194. Rollbacks at WalMart: $6. Coupons: $26. Total including taxes: $162. PLUS I have the Kelloggs $10 rebate coming for this purchase, so I actually spent $152 that I will not see again. My goal was to spend $150 and I got pretty close. This was a cart that was overflowing and that I have easily paid $250 for in the past. So I was happy.
However, I did make a couple of mistakes. I forgot to give the cashier my coupons for my free wheat thins and dressing, meaning I paid $7 more than I needed to. Oh well. We will eat them and get free ones next time!
I was a little worried at the check out counter though when the cashier didn't want to use my internet coupons. She said a lady recently came in and bought a lot of groceries for only $.96 using lots of coupons. Later it was discovered that the coupons she used were all copies of interenet coupons. Meaning they were worthless. Rrrr!
Thankfully my cashier was nice and called over her manager to look at my coupons and approve that they were legitimate, which she did, and all was well again. I can get some coupons online consisitently, that I just don't see anywhere else.
When I came home I started cleaning out my cabinets to make room for all my new food. That is when I decided to get rid of some of our canned goods that we don't like or won't use, or someone else gave us. It was such a great feeling! I was happily giving away food for someone else to use and enjoy. And I wasn't worried. I wasn't worried that this was going to hurt us, instead it freed us! Now that I don't worry about what we will eat, because I will always be able to get a good deal somewhere, and we are stockpiling, I can freely give to others that do have a need. And my cabinet is now filled with food we like and will eat, not just leftovers from others pantries! Yay! Yesterday was a good frugal day.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Walgreens Trip WooHoo!
So Walgreens was super special this Friday and Saturday. The rebate and coupon books overlapped. Giving you double coupons for several items, very nice. Also, they had issued a $10 off of $40 coupon.
Then today I got my first Walgreens rebate gift card in the mail. A whole $22! Yay!
I know some of my previous posts said that because of rebates, I paid very little out of pocket. I decided that this is untrue. I paid for those items with last months money. Then they give me that money back on a gift card. I use that gift card to pay for more items that they give me a rebate on. So it becomes like recycled money. This month my out of pocket expense will be lowered because I have gift cards full of Walgreens money to spend on things. If I do it right, eventually I can just use the gift cards and won't ever have to "pay" for things!
This is what I "bought" today:
3 bottles Suave hair mousse, found these on clearance for .62 each, awesome
2 boxes scrubbing bubbles toilet gel
2 boxes Huggies baby wipes
2 oust air sanitizer
1 Off skintastic bug repellent
1 edge shaving gel
2 glade fabric and air refreshers (free after coupons!)
3 smuckers squeezable jellies for $4
1 chemistry shampoo (FAR)
2 halogen lightbulbs on clearance
1 Crest ProHealth toothpaste (FAR)
2 Rimmel Eye Shadows (free after coupons!)
1 Chemistry Hair Masque (FAR)
Total: $94
Advertised Sales Savings: $20
Walgreens Coupons savings: $2.50
Manufactures Coupons Savings: $26
Register Rewards: $4
$10 off $40: $10
Total: $36 including tax
Gift Card: $22
Total Cash out of pocket: $14!!!
Rebates expected: $26.40
Percentage Saved: 85%
Then today I got my first Walgreens rebate gift card in the mail. A whole $22! Yay!
I know some of my previous posts said that because of rebates, I paid very little out of pocket. I decided that this is untrue. I paid for those items with last months money. Then they give me that money back on a gift card. I use that gift card to pay for more items that they give me a rebate on. So it becomes like recycled money. This month my out of pocket expense will be lowered because I have gift cards full of Walgreens money to spend on things. If I do it right, eventually I can just use the gift cards and won't ever have to "pay" for things!
This is what I "bought" today:
3 bottles Suave hair mousse, found these on clearance for .62 each, awesome
2 boxes scrubbing bubbles toilet gel
2 boxes Huggies baby wipes
2 oust air sanitizer
1 Off skintastic bug repellent
1 edge shaving gel
2 glade fabric and air refreshers (free after coupons!)
3 smuckers squeezable jellies for $4
1 chemistry shampoo (FAR)
2 halogen lightbulbs on clearance
1 Crest ProHealth toothpaste (FAR)
2 Rimmel Eye Shadows (free after coupons!)
1 Chemistry Hair Masque (FAR)
Total: $94
Advertised Sales Savings: $20
Walgreens Coupons savings: $2.50
Manufactures Coupons Savings: $26
Register Rewards: $4
$10 off $40: $10
Total: $36 including tax
Gift Card: $22
Total Cash out of pocket: $14!!!
Rebates expected: $26.40
Percentage Saved: 85%
Monday, August 25, 2008
More Walgreens!
So, I made two more trips to Walgreens. I wasn't planning on this, but then, they came out with a coupon. A coupon for $5 off a $20 purchase. And I wanted to buy some of the free after rebate items. So I went and shopped on Friday.
I bought 2 bottles organic conditioner, 2 bags Hershey Bliss candy, 3 packages batteries, 1 large vacuum bag, 4 pack light bulbs. Total: $43
After Coupons: $28.34 including tax.
Amount getting back in rebates: $25.50
Out of pocket amount after rebates: $2.84
Trip number 2 on Saturday night. I bought one box generic Prilosec for Joey, and more lightbulbs. Total: $26
After coupons: $21
Rebates: $7.70
Total out of pocket: $13.30
Basically I just got 6 weeks work of Prilosec for $13 instead of the normal $25, so that is fantastic. Joey now has enough Prilosec to last him until Halloween! Yay!
I am now staying away from Walgreens. Maybe. But I might go and get the jelly deal this week! ha ha!
I bought 2 bottles organic conditioner, 2 bags Hershey Bliss candy, 3 packages batteries, 1 large vacuum bag, 4 pack light bulbs. Total: $43
After Coupons: $28.34 including tax.
Amount getting back in rebates: $25.50
Out of pocket amount after rebates: $2.84
Trip number 2 on Saturday night. I bought one box generic Prilosec for Joey, and more lightbulbs. Total: $26
After coupons: $21
Rebates: $7.70
Total out of pocket: $13.30
Basically I just got 6 weeks work of Prilosec for $13 instead of the normal $25, so that is fantastic. Joey now has enough Prilosec to last him until Halloween! Yay!
I am now staying away from Walgreens. Maybe. But I might go and get the jelly deal this week! ha ha!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Lord, help me!
I woke up this morning and was tired. I hate it when that happens. I tried to not get up for another two hours, only to get up and be tired. With a headache. Whine, whine, whine.
Then it set in. My parents will be here in TWO DAYS! Aaahhhhhh! Last week I had the house in good order, and I have tried to keep it that way, but for some reason my two children have a remarkable power to make messes faster than I can possibly clean them up.
So I started cleaning the kitchen, but I didn't just pick things up and put them away. Oh no, I got crazy and started cleaning out the cabinets. Then I cleaned out all the drawers and washed them all, then I organized and threw stuff away that was stashed on top of the fridge, etc. etc.
Now the kitchen is cleaner inside of the cabinets, but has more random items sitting on the counter begging for a home to be found for them, or to be thrown out. I also have some cookbooks that I don't want, but don't know what to do with. To sell? To give away? To trash? Oh the questions!
My garage is also calling me to clean it out. It is full of random items, some trash, and lots of cobwebs. But what about the vacuuming, dusting and bathrooms that need to be cleaned?
Lord help me to focus on the larger picture today and tomorrow, while still keeping my family happy and loved.
Then it set in. My parents will be here in TWO DAYS! Aaahhhhhh! Last week I had the house in good order, and I have tried to keep it that way, but for some reason my two children have a remarkable power to make messes faster than I can possibly clean them up.
So I started cleaning the kitchen, but I didn't just pick things up and put them away. Oh no, I got crazy and started cleaning out the cabinets. Then I cleaned out all the drawers and washed them all, then I organized and threw stuff away that was stashed on top of the fridge, etc. etc.
Now the kitchen is cleaner inside of the cabinets, but has more random items sitting on the counter begging for a home to be found for them, or to be thrown out. I also have some cookbooks that I don't want, but don't know what to do with. To sell? To give away? To trash? Oh the questions!
My garage is also calling me to clean it out. It is full of random items, some trash, and lots of cobwebs. But what about the vacuuming, dusting and bathrooms that need to be cleaned?
Lord help me to focus on the larger picture today and tomorrow, while still keeping my family happy and loved.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Deals of the Day
So I made a last minute trip to Target this morning, after reading about some possible terrific deals there. I did okay, but not as good as some other people.
Best deal was the soda. I got 5 12-packs for $1.50 each. They were on sale for 4/10 or $2.50 a piece, plus I had a Target coupon for $1 off each of them. So that was good.
I also bought a box of diapers for $14 which made the diapers $.20 a piece which isn't bad. Some other brands are $.40/diaper. I really need to potty train the boy so I can stop buying diapers. What drives me crazy is that I used to do just fine with cloth, but then I put them away, and he is bigger as well, so I just want him to get out of diapers completely. Rrrr! I need to work on that this month.
Then I went to Aldis and got fresh produce, milk, eggs and bread. All at good prices.
Next month I may become the crazy lady that goes to three stores to get all of her different food, we'll just see. Once school starts I may not want to do that, or it may be easier because I can go when I pick up Gabbie from school at 3:30.
Best deal was the soda. I got 5 12-packs for $1.50 each. They were on sale for 4/10 or $2.50 a piece, plus I had a Target coupon for $1 off each of them. So that was good.
I also bought a box of diapers for $14 which made the diapers $.20 a piece which isn't bad. Some other brands are $.40/diaper. I really need to potty train the boy so I can stop buying diapers. What drives me crazy is that I used to do just fine with cloth, but then I put them away, and he is bigger as well, so I just want him to get out of diapers completely. Rrrr! I need to work on that this month.
Then I went to Aldis and got fresh produce, milk, eggs and bread. All at good prices.
Next month I may become the crazy lady that goes to three stores to get all of her different food, we'll just see. Once school starts I may not want to do that, or it may be easier because I can go when I pick up Gabbie from school at 3:30.
A Simply Beautiful Day
Yesterday was a beautiful day. Nothing else can really describe it.
It was cloudy and misty all day long. The warmest it got was 70 degrees outside. I opened all the windows, turned off the A/C and turned on the fans. It got humid in here, but it also felt so good!
It was a foretaste of fall. I made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. My favorite cloudy day food in the winter and fall. Last night we had yummy pork chops with sweet potatoes and rice and pineapple. For dessert I made homemade carmel popcorn. The best carmel popcorn! The kids helped.
The best part of the day was when I took a walk, alone. I walked around my neighborhood, and then out to the field by our house. The field is beautiful. The grass is as tall as me right now, with the grass stalks going to seed, causing a brown/purple rippling affect on the sea of grass.
I just stood there and looked for awhile, and talked to God. Sometimes we get so all consumed with our lives, and our house, and cars, etc. and forget about things like grass and fields. Staring out at a field of grass with a few trees here and there, covered in mist, it was the most beautiful thing I have seen for awhile (since the ocean!). Sure, there are nice houses, but this field was better! The bug noises were incredilby loud, including lots of frog noises. Walking back into my house and hearing the TV and radio on , mixed with voices, was very discordant after the sounds of happy nature.
Thank you God for such beauty that surrounds us. The beauty that you created and gave to us. Though we are creative and can make things as well, nothing really compares to what He has already given us to enjoy!
It was cloudy and misty all day long. The warmest it got was 70 degrees outside. I opened all the windows, turned off the A/C and turned on the fans. It got humid in here, but it also felt so good!
It was a foretaste of fall. I made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. My favorite cloudy day food in the winter and fall. Last night we had yummy pork chops with sweet potatoes and rice and pineapple. For dessert I made homemade carmel popcorn. The best carmel popcorn! The kids helped.
The best part of the day was when I took a walk, alone. I walked around my neighborhood, and then out to the field by our house. The field is beautiful. The grass is as tall as me right now, with the grass stalks going to seed, causing a brown/purple rippling affect on the sea of grass.
I just stood there and looked for awhile, and talked to God. Sometimes we get so all consumed with our lives, and our house, and cars, etc. and forget about things like grass and fields. Staring out at a field of grass with a few trees here and there, covered in mist, it was the most beautiful thing I have seen for awhile (since the ocean!). Sure, there are nice houses, but this field was better! The bug noises were incredilby loud, including lots of frog noises. Walking back into my house and hearing the TV and radio on , mixed with voices, was very discordant after the sounds of happy nature.
Thank you God for such beauty that surrounds us. The beauty that you created and gave to us. Though we are creative and can make things as well, nothing really compares to what He has already given us to enjoy!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
I said I wasn't going to do this . . .
Hey all! If anyone out there still remembers my blog, or me, ha ha! I know, it has been what, two years since I managed to post anything here, maybe longer? Wow. Crazy.
One of my friends asked me if I was going to start blogging about how much money I save with coupons, and I said, "No." Though I also said that I don't blog anymore. So apparently either I'm a liar, or just changed my mind. I am not going to go into the whole run down of how I saved on every single item on my list though. The place where that belongs is on a how-to frugal blog. And I doubt that is why anyone comes here!
I started using coupons a little over a month ago, and quickly decided that they weren't a waste of time, at least not for me. I had tried this before, and was disappointed in the results. This time, with the help of Money Saving Mom and printable coupons, I have not been disappointed at all! I am still in the "stocking up" phase of this whole thing. Where you accumulate different items as they go on sale and come out with coupons. Right now I feel like I am still spending the same amount in the budget, but I am coming away with more food and household items than normal. I hope to eventually be stocked up enough with toothpaste, cleaners, etc. that I will then only buy them when they are extremely cheap, therefore saving more money and cutting the budget. (I have to admit that I have been going over the food budget every month, so to stay within it this month, is still a big difference!)
This month the running total is as follows: Money spent on food and household items out of pocket $300, even though $275 of that was on a gift card, so that wasn't out of pocket necessarily, but it was still money. Coupon savings: $88. So currently almost a 30% savings on needed items. Some of the items that I spent money on that I could not avoid and I had no special savings offers on where things like medicine for Joey, a nice $25 a month, things like that.
I went to Walgreens for the first time over the weekend. I spent a little and didn't do a terrific job on the deals, and had no coupons, but I did need the toilet paper that I got, and the cheap but nice Kleenex is going with Gabbie for her school supplies. So that was all good.
Today I went back, armed with EasySaver catalogs, Walgreens coupons, and regular coupons and a list, of course! I got a full basket of goodies, both food and other things. I spent $42 out of pocket. $20 of that was on gifts for me and for two friends. All of the gifts were on sale, normally it would have been $36 for the three gifts. So that was still good.
So the $22 out of pocket for the needed household items was then broken down into $3 of tax, then I received $4 in register rewards, and then I send off for a $5 rebate, lowering my total of non-redeemable/non-tax money down to a whopping $10 spent on the following.
2 Pert Plus shampoo/conditioners, 3 Preperation H boxed wipes (this can be used as facial toners, not just hemorrhoids!!), 4 boxes General Mills assorted cereals, 2 Dove Shampoo and Conditioner, 3 jars Skippy Peanut Butter, 4 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, 2 Dixie Ultra Paper Plates, 1 Papermate pens, 1 papermate mechanical pencils.
Total Savings at Walgreens $71.50. $16 of which was from my little gifts. Take that away and I basically got $75 of groceries and other household items for $10. A savings of 85% is what I 'm talking about!!
One of my friends asked me if I was going to start blogging about how much money I save with coupons, and I said, "No." Though I also said that I don't blog anymore. So apparently either I'm a liar, or just changed my mind. I am not going to go into the whole run down of how I saved on every single item on my list though. The place where that belongs is on a how-to frugal blog. And I doubt that is why anyone comes here!
I started using coupons a little over a month ago, and quickly decided that they weren't a waste of time, at least not for me. I had tried this before, and was disappointed in the results. This time, with the help of Money Saving Mom and printable coupons, I have not been disappointed at all! I am still in the "stocking up" phase of this whole thing. Where you accumulate different items as they go on sale and come out with coupons. Right now I feel like I am still spending the same amount in the budget, but I am coming away with more food and household items than normal. I hope to eventually be stocked up enough with toothpaste, cleaners, etc. that I will then only buy them when they are extremely cheap, therefore saving more money and cutting the budget. (I have to admit that I have been going over the food budget every month, so to stay within it this month, is still a big difference!)
This month the running total is as follows: Money spent on food and household items out of pocket $300, even though $275 of that was on a gift card, so that wasn't out of pocket necessarily, but it was still money. Coupon savings: $88. So currently almost a 30% savings on needed items. Some of the items that I spent money on that I could not avoid and I had no special savings offers on where things like medicine for Joey, a nice $25 a month, things like that.
I went to Walgreens for the first time over the weekend. I spent a little and didn't do a terrific job on the deals, and had no coupons, but I did need the toilet paper that I got, and the cheap but nice Kleenex is going with Gabbie for her school supplies. So that was all good.
Today I went back, armed with EasySaver catalogs, Walgreens coupons, and regular coupons and a list, of course! I got a full basket of goodies, both food and other things. I spent $42 out of pocket. $20 of that was on gifts for me and for two friends. All of the gifts were on sale, normally it would have been $36 for the three gifts. So that was still good.
So the $22 out of pocket for the needed household items was then broken down into $3 of tax, then I received $4 in register rewards, and then I send off for a $5 rebate, lowering my total of non-redeemable/non-tax money down to a whopping $10 spent on the following.
2 Pert Plus shampoo/conditioners, 3 Preperation H boxed wipes (this can be used as facial toners, not just hemorrhoids!!), 4 boxes General Mills assorted cereals, 2 Dove Shampoo and Conditioner, 3 jars Skippy Peanut Butter, 4 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, 2 Dixie Ultra Paper Plates, 1 Papermate pens, 1 papermate mechanical pencils.
Total Savings at Walgreens $71.50. $16 of which was from my little gifts. Take that away and I basically got $75 of groceries and other household items for $10. A savings of 85% is what I 'm talking about!!
**EDIT**
I also just discovered that I can also ask for a rebate on the Pert Plus in this group that got me the school supplies for free. So I will also get back $3.00 on the Pert Plus, making this total $7 OOP.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
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