$5 Fridays

My $5 meal of the week belongs to...

SOUTHWESTERN CASSEROLE from Allrecipes.com

Since this recipe is a double batch then I will take the cost of the recipe as is and then divide by 2 for the cost!

Ingredient List and cost per item

7 oz package of macaroni - free (paired with coupon and sale)
2 lbs ground beef (using turkey) - $4.00
1 large onion - .17
2 garlic cloves - .10
2 cans diced tomatoes - free (paired with coupon and sale)
can kidney beans - .79
can tomato paste - .25
can chopped green chiles - .25
2 cups shredded cheese - .40
I don't count the cost of the spices. Hard to measure!

Total cost for two meals - $5.96
Cost per meal - $2.98

That is an awesome cost for a meal to feed a family of four and have leftovers!

Freezer Tips

The freezer is a great tool that most people don't utilize to its capacity. They think its for freezing meat and keeping items you find in the frozen section of the grocery store, but it can be used so much more for that. These are my freezer tips...

• If you are cooking chicken breasts one night... make double and freeze the extra. It takes no more time and effort to cook three extra pieces of chicken and can save you from having to cook on another night when time is short.
• Same as the above if you are cooking a whole chicken, cook two. BUT strip the chicken of all the meat and freeze only the meat of the extra chicken. This can be recycled into a great casserole one night (or chicken tacos, soup, etc.)
• If you have leftovers and they sit in the fridge and if nobody has eaten them by the end of day two put them in the freezer. Why? Think of it as making your own microwave meal. If you are headed out for work one day and didn't have leftovers the night before this is a great way to keep you from eating out for lunch and spending extra money.
• Have a freezer cooking day... make up a lot of things at one time and put in the freezer to cook another night. There are a ton of things that freeze well and sometimes are better the second time around (like spaghetti sauce! YUM).
• When you bring meat home from the store go ahead and put in a freezer bag with some marinade. Marinade overnight and then throw in the freezer for another night. Saves time later down the road when you didn't plan out the meal for that night you can grab out of the freezer on your way out to work and throw in the fridge. When you get home it will be ready to cook and saves time from marinating later!

That is a short list of freezer tips... do you have any to add?

Bye Bye Super Doubles

Bye bye super doubles at Harris Teeter!  You will be greatly missed.  There is probably no other time, than during triple coupons, can I save so much and really stock the house with so much.  I said my farewell during a trip last night which consisted of three separate transactions (due to coupon limits).

 

Transaction #1

·         Minute Made OJ for 2.47 – 1.50 internet printable coupon = free

·         (3) 100 Calorie boxes of Doritos & Sunchips for 2.00 ea – (3) 1.00 coupon (for Lays multipack) = free

·         (2) Kraft Single cheese packs for 2.49 – (2) 1.00 coupon (for 100 calorie Kraft cheese) = .49 each

·         (3) Bounty Big Roll single for 2.19 – (3) 2.00 Downy coupons = .19 each

·         Huggies wipe box for 2.99 – 3.00 Huggies diaper coupon = free

·         Huggies travel wipes for 2.29 – 3.00 Huggies diaper coupon = free

·         (3) Halls Tropical cough drops for 1.89 each – (3) 1.00 coupon = free

Total OOP = .74

Coupons/VIC Savings = 33.30

Saved = 98%

 

Transaction #2

·         (3) 100 Calorie boxes of Doritos & Sunchips for 2.00 ea – (3) 1.00 coupon (for Lays multipack) = free

·         (3) Charmin 4 count big roll for 3.69 each – 3.00 Tide Release coupon = .69 each

Total OOP = 2.99

Coupons/VIC Savings = 15.87

Saved = 84%

 

Transaction #3

·         (2) 100 Calorie boxes of Doritos & Sunchips for 2.00 ea – (3) 1.00 coupon (for Lays multipack) = free

Total OOP = .04

Coupons/VIC Savings = 4.58

Saved = 99.99%

 

Overall Outcome

OOP = $3.77

Coupons/VIC Savings = $53.75

Should have Cost = $57.52

Saved = 93%

 

Cheap Eat of the Week

Taco Bell now has a $2 meal deal. It's for a taco or burrito, bag of Doritos and a drink. Not the most nutritious meal, but it is cheap! Not a bad deal for one of those days when you forgot your lunch sitting on the counter at home and your nose has been to the grindstone all day leaving you with an empty feeling in your stomach!

One of "Those" days

Do you ever have one of those days?  You don’t feel like being at work but since you’re already there you make a valid attempt to get some work done and it just doesn’t work.  You sit there and stare at your screen with wonderment as you try to remember what in the world you were doing and then as soon as you figure it out, you get distracted.  Which it doesn’t take much on a day like this to distract you.  You then make another valiant attempt to get back into the work groove again.  Only this time you look at the screen even harder to figure out what you were doing and end up with a headache that could rival any earthquake that registers a 6.0 on the Richter scale.  What to do?  What to do?  What to do?

 

Even though you can’t get in the groove you do work but it just doesn’t feel right today.  You get stuff done but you question yourself every step of the way.  But even worse than that is you know in three days that the CEO of your company is going to send out an email saying everyone can leave at 3:00 p.m. versus 5:00 p.m. since it’s a holiday weekend AND you will have Monday off to boot since that’s the real holiday.  You sit there all day wishing and waiting for Friday to hurry up so you can get a head start to that long weekend. 

 

The worst part is… It’s only Tuesday!  You are stuck waiting and watching the clock for around noon on Friday when the impending and long awaited email will grace your Microsoft Outlook in-box.  Until then the minutes keep ticking by and you keep staring at the clock on the wall.

 

On the upside… hubs sent me a text message saying he was cooking dinner and for me to pick up a bottle of wine on the way home!

Q&A Day

I have been asked time and again how do you find the time to do your coupon shopping with two kids? How do you keep up with it? HOW DO YOU DO IT??

Let's start with how do you do it... more of a general question of how I manage to get things done with keeping up with my coupons, maintaining a full time job, two kids, a husband, cooking dinner, keeping up with the house, school and just getting everything done.

First of all, you can't get behind. If you get behind in anything you feel flustered and exasperated at the thought of trying to get things done. I get two papers delivered every Sunday and my Sundays are spent at the table with a bottomless cup of coffee and I clip them all out and file them away right then. If I get behind even by a week it seems like it takes forever to catch up so just try and keep up with your coupons even if you aren't getting to the store that week. You never know when super double or triple coupons might pop up and it always does when you are the least prepared!

I do my grocery shopping on an evening when the hubs is home with the kids, they are tucked into bed and I can go by myself! Its so much easier to go without kids so they don't aggravate you beyond means while in the store. I also go on a night when hubs is home with the kids and he knows this is my quiet time to relax so he doesn't call and ask "are you done yet?" That is another good reason to go after the kids are in the bed... they don't aggravate hubs and he has no extra reason to call and ask when I'm going to be home.

Also, another note on shopping... most stores have a limit on the number of coupons they will multiply per transaction so get more than one shopper's card and do more than one transaction to consolidate your shopping. You can use more coupons so it won't require more than one trip!

Drug store shopping is done during the week on my lunch breaks at work. This way it is a reprieve from work and time I have to take a break for anyways, so why not make good use of it? This is when I do my CVS shopping.

CVS Project

I went to CVS and got the following…

 

(2) Old Spice Body washes - $4 each

Used BOGO free coupon

$4 OOP

 

(4) Sobe Life Waters – on sale BOGO for $1.59

Used (2) BOGO free internet printable coupons

FREE after coupons

 

Total came up to $4.87

Used a $4 ECB

Spent .87 OOP

Got $8 ECBs back

 

“Made”  $7.13

 

I also got to scan my bag tag again so I’m half way to a free $1 ECB.  It would come in handy on days like this to have a small ECB to use for the .87.  Granted I would have had to find something to make up that .13 but I’m sure there is some cheap .25 candy that would reduce my OOP spending!

 

To date here are my “numbers” for my CVS Project…

 

OOP - $11.15

Saved - $45.74

Total should have been - $56.89

80% savings!

 

I started after the first transactions with only $12.49 ECBs and now I Have $15.50 and have only spent an additional $1.39 since my first transaction.  I am well within my $20 budget for CVS and am hoping by the end of the year I will have a HUGE savings to report and a ton of free items!

 

Menu for the Week

Menu for the week. I'm eventually going to try and throw in a Crock Pot meal each week so I can have a good list of recipes come the fall and winter time, but that will have to start next week! However for this week I am TIRED of eating the same things over and over again so I have decided to look up some new recipes. I logged into allrecipes.com and found some that I am going to try this week. One of the recipes is for double so I can freeze and cook another week.

Monday - Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - Oven Fried BBQ Chicken
Wednesday - Southwestern Casserole
Thursday - Pizza (of the frozen variety!)
Friday - BEACH
Saturday - BEACH
Sunday - BEACH

Allrecipes is a great site and one I suggest that you try. It is completely free, you can created your own recipe box to save recipes you like and it will create a shopping list for you by choosing various recipes. I haven't used it much but for looking around but I'm going to start using the recipe box so on weeks where I don't have much creativity I can see what we've tried in the past and what we haven't eaten lately to throw into the mix.

Sunday Prep

Here is my Sunday Prep list for this week to help get ready and make it run smoothly!

I've reviewed the CVS ECB list for this week and this is what I plan on getting...

Buy 1 Gillette or Old Spice Body Wash get $4 ECB (limit 2)
Priced at $4.00
Free after ECB
Can pair BOGO coupon to sweeten the deal
Or pair with Free Old Spice body wash when you buy body wash or deodorant
Not sure if pairing with BOGO coupons if that will count for your two limit but if it does then you will spend $4.00 OOP and get $8 ECBs

Revlon Nail color buy one get free CVS nail polish remover
Nail polish $2.49
Use $2/1 Revlon color or nail color
.49 OOP
@ .24 each

I will end up with a total of $4.49
Use $4 ECB
.49 OOP
and will earn $8 ECBs back!
MONEY MAKER!!!

BUT if using the BOGO doesn't count for my two limit for the body wash then I will end up with a total of $8.49
Use $8.00 ECBs
and earn $8 ECBs back
Spend .49 OOP

I'm about to go try it now so I will let you know how I do. Then, have to come home and work on the menu for the week (oh what fun)!

Super Savings Saturday

I didn't get to HT on Saturday BUT I did get there Friday night. Friday night has to be one of my favorite times to go shopping. Hubs was home with the girls so I didn't have to go with them and I waited for them to go to bed so I don't feel bad missing time with them. There weren't many people in there and the staff that is there on Friday nights are GREAT! They really are wonderful. I did two transactions and here is what I got!
Transaction #1

• (3) Dial soap 3 bar packs - sale price $2.00 and had (3) $1 off Men's Dial bodywash coupons so these were free! (love the matching the UPC trick that I learned)
• (2) tubs Pampers wipes - sale price $2.50 and used (2) $1.50 off Pampers DIAPER coupons (matching the UPC again!) so these were free!
• Scotch Brite sponge 6 pack - on sale for BOGO, normal price 5.99, so $3 per pack if you buy one and had a $1 coupon that doubled making it $1 for a six pack of sponges!
• Caprisuns - on sale 2.75 and paired with $1 coupon for Caprisun morning drinks (I can't remember what they're called) but again the UPC matched!
• TGI Friday Buffalo Popcorn chicken (box) - on sale 3.34 and used the $2 catalina that printed off for the TGI Friday frozen skillet meal (UPC matched!) - 1.34 final cost
• Stouffers rigatoni with roasted chicken individual meal - on sale for $2.50 and then paired with a $1 coupon for Stouffer family meal (UPC match) - .50 final cost
• Stouffers Turkey Tetrazzini - on sale $2.50 and used another coupon stated above - .50 final cost
• (2) Kids Cuisine meals - $2 each and used $1/2 coupon so .50 each. I don't normally buy these but they are a great choice for hubs when he has the baby during the day and we don't have leftovers!
• (3) Digiorno Individual pizzas - $2.50 each and had $1 coupons, so .50 each
• Nancy's crabcakes - sale $4.65 each paired wiht $1.50 coupon - 1.65 cost
• (3) Kraft singles (the normal wrapped cheese) - sale price $2.49 each and had $1 Kraft coupon for something else and the UPC matched - .49 each final cost
• Oscar Meyer Deli Creations - $2.50 each and paired with $1 coupon - .50 final cost

All in all for all of the above my OOP cost was $12.56 and the order should have been $69.94

Transaction #2

• (2) Dial bar 3 packs of soap - $2.00 each, paired with $1 Dials Men bodywash coupon - free
• (2) 16 oz Quaker Oats old fashioned - $1.50 (raincheck price) and paired with $1 coupons - free
• (6) Clorox Bleach - $1.66 and $1.67 each and paired with (3) 1.50/2 coupons - final cost was .16-.17 each
• Scotch Bright 6 pack of sponges - same as above - $1.00 final cost
• Lea & Perrins Chicken Marinade (with the worcestshire sauce) - $2.50 and had $1 L&P Worcestshire coupon (UPC Match) - .50 cost
• (2) Air Wick 2 pack refills - $4.99 each (raincheck price) and paired with $1 coupons - $2.99 each
• Air Wick warmer - $1.25 paired with buy refill and get warmer for free - free
• (2) Hidden Valley Ranch - $2.99 each and paired with $1 coupon - .99 each
• KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce - $2.19 paired with $1 coupon - .19 cost
• (3) bags Hanover mini pretzels - $2.00 each paired with $1 coupon for the organic pretzels (UPC Match) - free
• Lacross finger nail clippers - $1.99 paired with $2.00 coupon - free
• Oral B Toothbrush - $2.79 paired with $1 coupon - .79 cost
• Oscar Meyer Deli Creations - $2.50 with $1.00 coupon - .50 cost

For transaction #2 my OOP was $13.76 for $69.34 worth of groceries.

Grand total is $26.32 OOP for $139.28 worth of groceries! I really can't beat that. You may be looking at the list of things that I bought and wonder "how in the hell does she make meals out of all that??" That's the beauty of buying ahead. You can buy everything at rock bottom prices during coupon special weeks and during the other weeks you stock up on meats when they are on sale and other items you can get at good prices.

I have so many other items from other coupon special weeks when I got other things at rock bottom that we could probably live on what we have on hand for a month. Yes, you heard me, a month! That's after I've contributed a lot of things to the new beach house my in laws bought.

You have to learn to shop the free/cheap stuff at rock bottom prices and get all you can when they are on special. Those are for the things that keep a long time like pasta, canned goods, etc. There are many weeks when you can get free/cheap pasta, taco stuff, seasonings, baking goods, cereal, pancake mix, hot dogs, mac and cheese, etc. So hot dogs are cold and they do expire they are also freezable. Make use of your freezer! It's a great thing when you have no time and when you do have time you can stock it up.

Extra CVS Trip

I made a trip to CVS today.  Every time I go in I scan my Extra Care card at the scanner in the store and it prints out coupons that can generate some free items!  I printed out two coupons today and had some from a previous trip.  I never really paid them much mind except a quick glance and kept right on “getting it” because I didn’t think there was anything they could get me for free.  Well, I was wrong!  Not only did I get six free items but I also got to scan my nifty “bag tag” and got one of the four credits needed to get my $1 ECB.

 

Coupon #1 - $1 off 2 CVS paper products… I had two of these coupons, so I got four of the travel size tissues.  They are priced at 2 for .99!

 

Coupon #2 - $1 off CVS cosmetic accessory… this took a little thinking because I had NO CLUE what exactly would be included in this.  I picked up a travel container of CVS brand Q-tips.  It’s a nifty hard plastic container with 50 Q-tips for $1.00.  I had two of these coupons as well so I got two packages of them.

 

They rang me up and literally my OOP cost was $0.00!!  And they scanned my bag tag. 

 

This is my new thinking… I had four of those coupons total and each gave me free items.  Had I done each one of the coupons on a separate day then that would also provide me with all the free items and an extra $1 ECB with absolutely NO OOP cost!  I can make it there and back in my 15 minute break at work, so I’m thinking that I will try to go a few times per week to get my “free” ECB.  I will go on Mondays for my weekly “ECB Shopping” and then three more times that week to grab other things and see if I can get coupons that will net more free items.  If I get a free ECB each week from using my bag tag four times per week that’s an extra $52 per year that I can use towards more free stuff and roll over!

 

Trying to work smart, not hard to get more free stuff and make some extra to provide my family with whatever I can!  Using what I’ve got and making the best of my resources!

$5 Fridays

For Fridays we are starting a new topic of the day… Five Dollar Fridays!  I will post a meal that I made for the family that cost less than $5 this week.  How is that for a challenge?

 

Turkey Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey - $2.00

Ricotta Cheese - $1.17

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce -  .52

Sargento shredded mozzarella cheese – FREE

Mueller’s lasagna noodles – FREE

Total - $3.69

 

The ground turkey is a four pack of 1 lb rolls for $7.99, so $2.00 each

Ricotta Cheese was on sale for $1.17

The spaghetti sauce was during the time Harris Teeter had Classico for Buy 2 Get 3 free at $2.79 ea, so $5.58 and then two $1.50 coupons, $2.58/5 is .52 per jar

Sargento shredded cheese was on sale for BOGO and then I had a .75 coupon that multiplied and I got the bag for free.

Mueller’s lasagna noodles were on sale for $1 and I paired with a coupon to get them free.  I’ve had them for a while but that’s the great thing about buying ahead!

 

This meal cost $3.69 and fed me, my hubs, my mother in law and both girls for dinner.  We were all about to bust we ate so much!!  Then hubs and I had leftovers (mucho leftovers) for lunch the next day!  It fed five of us that night and then two of us again, so seven servings.  That comes out to .53 per serving!!  That is much better than any fast food place could promise.

 

This is a great reason why I implement the buy ahead policy and stock up on things when they are on sale.  I can make a GREAT dinner for having company over and it cost next to nothing.  I remember before when we would have company over I would make a special trip to the store to get something to make.  Now, not only do I save time by not having to run out to the store but I got it all at a wonderful price. 

 

How did you this week?

Thursday's Tips

I am starting Thursday’s Tips.  They can be on anything… children’s activities, new things that I’ve found works with anything, cleaning, shopping, time and scheduling (saving some time) or really anything.  Just a tip that works for me and could possibly work for you.

 

For my first tip of something that works for me and something I couldn’t live without… my planner!  Yes, I’m a little OCD and have everything written out even down to last minute out to dinner with family.  This way if something ever happens and the police are forced to ask me where I was on any particular day or time I can pull out my planner and tell them!  LOL  OK… so that may not be my first and foremost reason to have a planner, but I’ve been using the same one for about three years now and I love it!

 

My planner has a calendar with the month at a glance, weekly schedule, notes, car maintenance logs, movies you want to see, contact information (for you if lost), financial information, address book, notes, and just everything I could want down to a list for restaurants we want to try!  I bought one where I can just buy the new year’s calendar, take out the old one and replace it!  That way I don’t have to update everything else each year… just keep going.

 

A few notes on your planner…

·         Do NOT keep any personal information that if someone got a hold of it that they could assume your life.  This includes (but is not limited to) passwords, banking information, credit card information, PIN numbers, access codes (not even the ones for the automatic garage door opener that’s on your house because your home address is probably listed somewhere in that planner, possibly on a letter)… nothing that is too personal!  I do keep reminders for passwords like this… “Mortgage – A23”.  This way I will have a reminder for the password for our mortgage company (company name not listed) without giving it away.  This works for me and nobody else could decipher what the password is unless of course my hubs is looking at it.  They may not even be able to tell it is a password.  They could think it was the end of our account number, but they don’t have the mortgage company name even if they have everything else!

·         Make sure to keep your contact number up to date.  You may not want to include your address but you do want to include a phone number and emergency contact information in case something ever happens.  Include a list of allergies and medications.

·         Keep up with recurring events because sometimes a slip of the mind might cause a conflict. 

·         If you have a four person family like we do, there is always something going on.  I take the time each week to update the family calendar at the house so hubs always has it for reference and always there for a quick glance.  There is less conflict that way.

·         I write down everything...

o   Doctor appointments

o   Dance class

o   School for me and hubs (I also write when my assignments are due)

o   When a store has an upcoming sale I want to hit (triple coupons or Old Navy’s $1 flip flop sale this Saturday)

o   Meetings for work

o   Babysitting for friends

o   Grocery shopping (yes, even this has to be scheduled so I can go without children)

o   Hubs training for work or special stuff

o   Birthday and anniversary reminders (also put a * on the week before so I can send a card)

o   Parties

o   When any of our parents will be out of town (in case we need babysitting services J)

o   ANYTHING you don’t want to forget

·         I also am a “list” person so I have multiple lists going on at any given time.  Here’s a list of my lists I have going at the moment

o   Wifey to do (for me)

o   Hubs to do

o   Home Improvement (projects we want to do around the house)

o   Pack for the beach

o   Restaurants we want to eat at

o   Grocery list

o   To do for wedding (my sister’s)

o   Peezy’s Birthday party (multiple lists.. to do, menu, guest list)

 

Yes, I’m one of those people that has to “consult” my calendar before saying yes to anything but I would much rather say that than to say yes and then have to call back and cancel.  I don’t like backing out on anything so this saves the hassle.  I love my calendar and I use it constantly.  I love my lists and nothing gives me more satisfaction than crossing something off once it’s completed.  I am organized and efficient and this way I don’t make plans for visiting someone on the opposite side of town from where we live when I have to go out there the next day anyways.

 

That would be my #1 Tip – Use a planner and organize you!

Wednesday's Cheap Eats

Quizno’s has just sent me a great notification… Kids eat FREE!  Buy an entrée and get a kids meal free.  The entrée excludes toasty bullets, sammies and soups.  The kids meal includes sub or pizza, a drink and choice of a chocolate chip cookie or applesauce.  One more thing… the child must be present (12 or younger) to get this deal.

 

It does NOT say that it can’t be combined with any other offer so I suggest you go to Quizno’s website and sign up for their club.  I get coupons all the time and they are very worth it.  I will see about doing this one night with our family.  They have their regular subs for $5.00, so $10.00 for me and hubs and then get two kids meals for free.  Right now there is a coupon for $2 off 2 subs, so that would be $8 for the whole family to eat!!!  You really can’t be that for eating out. 

 

I can still get it for takeout as long as both children are present.  We have chips and drinks at home to go with these or I can make some of that great pasta salad that I just got for .35!!

CVS Project

I went to CVS on lunch today with a few intentions…

 

·         To get more products to roll over my ECBs

·         Get more coupons from the ECB scanner

·         Get the reusable shopping bag to further my savings

 

The things I was going to get to roll over my ECBs…

 

Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner

Sale - $2.99 ea

Coupon - $1.00 ea

ECBs earned - $2.00 ea

Free after ECBs

 

Blade 5 Razor - $6.99

ECBs earned - $6.99

Free after ECBs

 

Cover Girl Wetslicks Lip gloss

Sale – BOGO

Coupon – BOGO

Free after sale and coupon

 

How the trip worked out…

 

They were out of the razors (big surprise).  The CG lip gloss coupon that I had did not match the ones that were actually on sale.  The ones with the peppermint from Crest or something like that were the ones on sale so the coupon wouldn’t work with it.  There went six free lip glosses!  BUT they did have the Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioners still in stock.

 

I also learned that you don’t have to buy the reusable shopping bag but the reusable shopping TAG to get the $1 off every fourth trip.  You just attach the tag to any reusable shopping bag you already have and it will work the same.  It is .99 to buy the tag (same price the bag would be).  You don’t get $1 off each fourth trip but every fourth time you use the bag you will get a $1 ECB print out. 

 

I ended up using a $4.99 ECB and paid .52 OOP for the trip, but considering the tag was .99 and it was an extra investment that will never go on sale and will give me more ECBs I’m OK with this trip.

 

There weren’t many deals this week, but that’s OK.  My ECBs have not expired yet and I have a bit of time left on them.  I have decided now on a different method for my CVS shopping to make it more efficient and less time consuming since I do on my lunch breaks at work… 

 

·         I am going to use one of the reusable bags I have at home and attach the tag to it

·         I am going to use the small coupon organizer and leave in this bag for my CVS shopping

·         In this I will keep all my ECBs, my CVS coupon print outs and receipts

·         On Sundays I will make my list of what I’m going to buy, attach the coupons and put in my coupon organizer

Menu Plan Monday

I am going to start doing my menu planning again.  I do this for so many reasons…

·         Saves time during the week when I get home from work and answering the “what’s for dinner?” question

·         I remember to thaw out the meats I need to use

·         Makes grocery shopping and sticking to my budget much easier

 

How I menu plan…

I bought this cute little notepad at the craft store (Michael’s I think) and it has a spot for each day of the week.  It has a magnet on the back to stick to the fridge and the best thing ever… it was only $1!!  Since my husband’s work schedule is until 6:00 p.m. on the days he works and some nights we have other things going on (dance, family stuff, etc.) I write those on those days so I know to plan easy meals on those nights.  Then, I try to make the complete menu out of what we already have at home just so I don’t “have” to buy certain things at the grocery store and can commit to primarily shopping for the deals only.  Then, I fill it out and put whatever we have to have for that week’s menu on my shopping list.  This really helps to keep my grocery budget to a minimum. 

 

This week we have the following…

 

Monday – Chicken stir fry with brown rice

Tuesday – Chicken casserole

Wednesday – eating out (dance rehearsal)

Thursday – Turkey lasagna

Friday – Chicken tacos/fajitas

 

I don’t make plans for Saturday or Sunday because Sunday we normally eat at the in-laws house and Saturday can vary depending on what happens during the week but Saturday’s I cook whatever we have on hand.  This is also the night I might recycle left over’s (more on that later).

Good HT Trip

I went to HT yesterday (after sorting my coupons and getting them organized) and did a good shopping trip.  Not my best, but good overall.  There were a few things that I bought at full cost because of our menu planning for the week.  Here is the shopping trip.

 

Peppridge Farm Stuffing – 1.99

 

I did the cereal deal I posted previously and got the following…

(2) Golden Grahams

(2) Trix

(4) Cinnamon Toast Crunch (they were out of Lucky Charms)

(2) Betty Crocker cookie pouches

I used the coupons in the previous post (the Lucky Charms one worked on the Cinnamon Toast Crunch because the UPC’s matched)

 

(4) Suddenly Salad Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad

On sale BOGO Free

Plus rain check for $1.50 each

Cost – 6.00

Reduced by 3.00 for the BOGO

(2) .40 coupons

Cost - .35 each (1.40)

 

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner – 1.44

.50 Coupon

Cost - .44

 

Kraft Mayo and Miracle Whip

BOGO Free

Cost – 2.14 ea (4.28)

 

Sparkle 8 Roll Paper Towels – 5.99

(Had been out of town and didn’t know the Scott PT were 4.99 eVic for 1)

 

Hershey 8 pack mini bars – 1.50

$1.00 Coupon (matched by UPC code – Reese’s bag coupon)

 

(2) Ortega Guacamole Seasoning Packets – .80 ea (1.60)

.75/2 Coupon

Cost - .05 ea (.10)

 

(4) Campbell Cream of Mushroom & Chicken (both in one can J) – 1.00 ea (4.00)

(2) $1/2 coupons

Cost - .50 ea (2.00)

 

(3) McCormick White Chicken Chili Packets – 1.29 (3.87)

(3) .75 Coupons (for McCormick Perfect Pinch Seasoning but the UPC matched)

Cost – Free!

 

Spray n Wash – 1.67

.50 Coupon

Cost - .67

 

Texas Toast Tortilla Strips – 1.69

.75 coupon

Cost - .19

 

Ground Turkey (4 rolls in one bag) – 7.99

 

3 lb bag of yellow onions – 2.99

 

(4) Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggies – 2.00

Rain Check – BOGO Free

(2) .50 coupons

Cost - .50 ea (2.00)

 

(2) Birds Eye Stir Fry Veggies – 2.65 ea (5.30)

(2) .50 Coupons

Cost – 1.65 ea (3.30)

 

Daisy Sour Cream – 2.19

.50 Coupon

Cost – 1.19

 

2.5 Dozen Large HT eggs – 3.57

 

Gallon Milk – 3.19

 

(10) Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs – 3.39 ea & B2G3 Free

Charged for 4 packs – 13.56

(2) 1/2 coupons

Total Cost – 11.56

Cost per pack – 1.16

 

(2) Oscar Meyer Deli Shaved Lunch Meat (Turkey & Roast Beef) – 3.00 ea (6.00)

(2) 1.00 coupon

Cost – 2.00 ea (4.00)

 

I also had a $10 off $40 purchase coupon I got in the mail so all in all here’s the totals…

 

Spent - $62.41

Saved - $90.69

60% total savings!

 

I did get a rain check for the Purina Dog food which is on sale for BOGO free this week and there was a $1.50 coupon in the paper about two weeks ago (I don’t keep up with the dates but I know it hasn’t expired yet).

 

 

 

HT Deals

Harris Teeter has some great deals that I’m going to cash in on this week (will post after I decide on my shopping trip).  But they have a GREAT deal for General Mills products.  If you buy 10 participating products you get $4 off instantly on your order.  After looking at the participating items this is how I’ve decided to do this deal.  I’m keeping in mind not to get the things that will get me the lowest per item price, but getting items that we need stock in… cereal!

 

(2) Cinnamon Toast Crunch - $2.00 each

(2) Lucky Charms - $2.00 each

(2) Trix - $2.00 each

(2) Golden Grahams - $2.00 each

(2) Betty Crocker Pouch Cookie Mix - $1.50 each

 

Total - $19.00

 

Coupons to use…

(2) $1.50/2 General Mills Cereals printable

(2) .55/1 Cinnamon Toast Crunch printable

(2) .55/1 Lucky Charms printable

(2) .40/1 Betty Crocker Cookie Mix printable

 

Total Coupons - $9.00

(remember the ones .99 or less will double)

Instant Savings - $4.00

 

Total OOP - $6.00

Cost per item - $.60

 

Even those that don’t keep up with coupons could cash in on this deal!
 

1st CVS Attempt

Since I jumped on the CVS bandwagon I went today and did a little ECB shopping.  This is what I got…

 

4 packages 22 count Carefree panti liners - $1.00 each

Used 2 – BOGO Free coupons  (-$2.00)

Used 2 – $1 coupons (-$2.00)

Final cost = Free

 

2 Right Guard Deodorants – 2.49 each

Coupon - $3/2

OOP - $1.98

ECB = $4.00

 

Crest Pro Health Mouth wash - $3.50

Coupon - $1.00

OOP - $2.50

ECB - $3.50

 

U Kotex Pads - $4.99

Coupon - $1.00

OOP - $3.99

ECB - $4.99

 

Should have cost me (for regular price for all) - $24.32

OOP Cost - $9.76

Saved - $14.56

ECBs received - $12.49

“Made” - $2.73

 

 

I received a mailer from P&G yesterday in the mail that had a $1.00 Crest Pro Health Mouth Wash versus the .75 coupon that was advertised on many blogs so that helped by .25.  They were out of the Crest Pro Health Toothpaste, but since the sales don’t end until Saturday night (new sales post on Sunday) I can go get one of those and spend an additional $2.75 and make $3.50 in ECBs.  I might do this, I might not.  We have a ton of toothpaste at home so I’m not hurting by not getting it.

 

What I like and learned…

·         The ECB states at the top what you bought to earn that ECB

·         They do expire, BUT the expiration date is big, clear and bold on the ECB and they expire a month out

·         Since the ECBs are tied to your CVS card at the bottom it does state the CVS “account number” that the ECB is tied to (for those that might want to try and use two cards and double their savings)

·         They were playing a commercial while I was in the store and it says if you buy a reusable CVS shopping bag every fourth time you use it you will receive $1 off your purchase.  This could further your savings every four weeks by $1 (so 13 times per calendar year) OR if you make more than one trip per week this could net even further your savings… I might just purchase only the items that an ECB adds up to and do different transactions to sweeten this deal.

 

Next week (this Sunday) when the sales reset I am going to peruse the ad and blogs and see what I can’t roll my ECBs over on.  I will look on the CVS website and see what their ECB policy is and compare that to those that I find on various blogs. 

CVS Bandwagon

I am going to jump on the CVS bandwagon this summer.  I am going to make a onetime “investment” of $20 in any items that I have coupons for that also produce ECB’s that either make money or make the items free after ECB.

 

This week there are a few things out there I think I am going to get…

 

Crest Pro Health Toothpaste or Mouthwash - $3.50 (limit 2)

Coupon = .75 (x2)

OOP = $5.50

ECBs Earned = $7.00

Result = $1.50 “Money maker”

 

U Kotex Liners, Pads or Tampons - $4.99 (limit 1)

Coupon = $1.00

Store Coupon = $1.00 (this was not available for my zip code)

OOP = $2.99 ($3.99 for me)

ECBs Earned = $4.99

Result = $2.00 “Money maker” ($1.00 for me)

 

Right Guard or Dry Idea $2.49 each (limit 2)

Buy 2

Coupon = $3/2

OOP = $1.98

ECBs Earned = $4.98

Result = $3.00 “Money maker”

 

Schick Hydro 3 or Hydro 5 Razor - $8.99 (limit 1)

Coupon = $5.00 (05/09/10 Smart Source insert)

OOP = $3.99

ECBs Earned = $4.00

Result = Free

 

Total OOP = $15.46 (plus tax)

ECB’s end up with = $20.97

“Made” $5.51

 

Next week I will do the same thing for the free or super cheap items and each week I’m hoping to have more ECB’s total than I had the week before and keep rolling them over.  They do have expiration dates so I will have to keep an eye on those and when I have to spend them I can still use on things that I can get super cheap or use for something we really need.

 

I am going to keep up with a spreadsheet of how much I spend OOP each week as I’m sure there are some weeks that I will end up paying a small amount for because of tax I’m sure.  I also need to read about CVS shopping just so I can make sure it’s not like Walgreens (where you can use either a register reward or coupon on the item and not both).  I will keep up with what I spend OOP… how much I earn on ECB’s… how many items I bought… how much it should have cost.

 

I’m so excited… I guess I’m a nerd!

 

 

 

Did you get the paper yesterday?  If you did, the $4 coupon for Nivea body wash for women will get you a free big bottle at Target.  Normal price is $3.99 so I got two yesterday.  Probably the same or less at Walmart.  There was also a coupon for $4 off 2 Gilette body washes for men and there were some on an end cap marked at $1.52 so I got TWELVE of them yesterday!  They weren’t the normal big size, about half the size but definitely bigger than a travel size (about 12 oz).

 

12 body washes @ $1.52 each

Total $18.24

3 - $4/2 coupon = $12 off

3 - BOGO free coupons = $4.56 off

Total off = 16.56

OOP = $1.68

 

Also… remember I told you about the UPC on the coupons and products matching up, well, that has helped me tremendously now!  There are NEVER any coupons for the razors that hubs and I use (Gilette) but they always have coupons out for their other razors, well, lo and behold yesterday I checked the UPC code and found some coupons I could use on our razors!  Instead of paying $8 per pack I paid $4!!  The Mach 3 refill coupon for $4 worked on our disposable razors.  I was very happy about that.  I am thinking that now that I know how the codes have to match up that I can now do some serious damage and get a lot more stuff for free or next to nothing!

 

I will definitely be making a trip to the store at some point this week and seeing about matching ones up for various toiletries and seeing what I can get.