CVS Frees!

Since I had a ton of ECBs stored up from shopping on Black Friday and because my mom was with me, I decided to just do one huge transaction instead of breaking it up like normal. Although I did end up buying one of the deodorants separately just to save on my OOP a little bit. I didn't think my receipt would ever finish printing for Transaction #1! lol

CVS Transaction #1:
+ 5 Listerine Cool Mint 500 ml mouthwash
+ 1 Zantac 150 8-ct.
+ 2 bags Halls Natural Herbal cough drops (the limit for free after ECBs is one on these, but I had a 50 cents off 1 coupon and also a BOGO coupon--so I got 2 for free, plus made 50 cents)
+ 3 Right Guard Professional Strength
+ 1 Excedrin Express Gels 20 ct.
+ 2 Crest Pro Whitening toothpaste 4.2 oz
+ 5 Arm & Hammer Essentials cleaner starter kits
+ 2 Sally Hansen Nail Polish
+ 2 L'Oreal Hip Metallic Eye Shadow
+ 1 Benefiber Stick Pack 16 ct.
- Coupons (totaling $20.29)
- ECBs (totaling $78.93)
+ Tax
=$3.17 on GC, $0.00 out of pocket, $121.19 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.00
*Plus I earned back $96.72 in ECBs, a $5 off any $15 purchase coupon, a $2.50 off any Pain Reliever purchase of $10 coupon, and a $2 off an $8 Hair Care purchase coupon!

CVS Transaction #2:
+ 1 Right Guard Professional Strength
- ECBs (totaling $4.00 from previous transaction)
+ Tax
=$2.14 on GC, $0.00 out of pocket, $7.99 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.00
*Plus I earned back $6.00 in ECBs!


In total, I spent $5.31 on my gift card and $82.93 in ECBs. I walked away with 25 items, saved $129.18, and have $98.72 in ECBs in my pocket. So, if you take the ECBs I now have and subtract the ECBs I spent and the money I spent on my gift card, I actually EARNED $10.48 for buying all this stuff!

Crappy Kroger! :(

I am so bummed. I got all of this for only $0.61, but my catalinas didn't print out! Apparently, the catalina machine was broken and the 16 year old cashier didn't know what he was talking about. I should have gotten 7 x $0.50 OYNO and a $2.50 or $3 off 3 coupon for Johnson's. Instead, I got nothing. So, even though I saved over $45, I still left feeling bummed. :(



Kroger 12/19:
+ 7 Fleischmann's Active Dry yeast strips 3 ct. ea
+ 3 Cottonelle toilet paper 4 ct. single rolls
+ 2 Ronzoni elbow pasta
+ 1 Ronzoni spaghetti
+ 1 Ronzoni Rotini
+ 4 Ragu pasta sauces
+ 4 Reddi-Whip
+ 3 Johnson's Buddies soap bars
- Coupons
- OYNO (I used about $12 in these that I earned by buying the yeast strips)
+ Tax
=$0.61 out of pocket, $45.26 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.02

Toilet Paper Heaven!

All of this for only $3.53 and I earned back $5.00!!!

Kroger Transaction #1:
+ 8 Cottonelle toilet paper 4 pk. single rolls
+ 3 large Jello chocolate pudding cook and serve
+ 1 Cool Whip
+ 5 Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast strips 3 count ea.
+ 3 Johnson's Buddies soaps
+ 1 bunch Bananas
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$2.60 out of pocket, $26.96 saved, 93% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.12
*Plus I earned back $2.50 total in OYNO catalinas and a $2.50/3 Johnson's baby soaps catalina!
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Kroger Transaction #2:
+ 6 Cottonelle toilet paper 4 pk. single rolls
+ 5 Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast strips 3 count ea.
+ 3 Johnson's Buddies soaps
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.93 out of pocket, $18.89 saved, 97% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.07
*Plus I earned back $2.50 total in OYNO catalinas and a $2.50/3 Johnson's baby soaps catalina!

Target Thursday!

Target 12/18:
+ 1 head Green Giant fresh broccoli
+ 2 heads Green Giant fresh cauliflower
+ 2 Beggin' Strips dog treats 6 oz. ea
+ 2 Hefty trash bags 40 count ea.
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$12.90 out of pocket, $13.28 saved, 51% savings
Avg. cost per item: $1.84
*Plus I got a store coupon print out for $1 off Tide.

I know I could save more money on trash bags by buying a cheaper brand, but we really love these bags. We've never had a split or a leak and they grip the top of the trashcan and never slide in like cheaper brands tend to do. Plus, after coupons, I got these for $4.64 and $5.64 a box, which is a really good price for these. So the trash bags were the majority of my out-of-pocket cost.

The broccoli and cauliflower cost $0.33 each after coupons and the beggin' strips cost $0.24 each after coupons!

My Stockpile!

I just started couponing in October, but have been trying to stockpile items that we use a lot. (Some of the things are items I had bought before couponing and not all items in my stockpile are pictured.) Of course I'm just getting started, but here's a peek at what I have collected so far:

Toothpastes and Mouthwashes


Mouthwashes


Shampoos, Conditioners, Soaps, Body Washes, Lotions


Cleaners, Detergents, Fabric Softeners, Air Fresheners


Cereals (not showing 19 new boxes of Cheerios), Oatmeals, Paper Towels


Paper Towels, Tissues, Serving items


Sour Creams


Canned Goods


Grains and Dry Beans


Snacks


Baking Items


Mixes


Smart Waters


Chest Freezer in the Garage
(the Voila's are all in ziplock bags b/c we had to cut the UPC's off to send in for the free Charlie Brown DVDs and that left a hole in the packages)


Sodas and Waters


Various Drinks


And here are some yummy fruits my parents handpicked on a recent trip. Yum! :)

Photo Mania!

I got a little behind on taking photos of my shopping trips, so here's a peek at some of the recent buys:

$5/$15 CVS trip

My CVS gift card that I ordered with my bonus Discover card money came today and just in time! I just used my last one up yesterday! So tonight, I made a stop at my closest CVS because yesterday I got a $5/$15 that was only good for 3 day. I had planned to grab at least one of the free after ECBs deals that was only good for Sunday and Monday, but I couldn't find any of them. So I improvised with the lotions. They were $5 each and if you spent $10, you got back $5 in ECBs. So, I earned back $2 less in ECBs than I used, but I still have a ton so I'm fine with it.

And the best news of the night is that my store got a scanner! So now I can get CVS coupons to print out by scanning my Extra Care card at the scanner. Yipee! I got 4 tonight!

CVS 12/15:
+ 2 St. Ives 18 oz. lotions
+ 1 Crest Spin Pro brush
- Coupons
- ECBs ($9.00)
+ Tax
=$1.12 on GC, $0.00 out of pocket, $17.58 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.00
*Plus I earned back $7 in ECBs.

Keeping up with Coupons!

Eeeek! I feel like I have coupons all over my house (and all in the cars, too, for that matter)!

I use the binder system with plastic-sleeved-pocketed-pages and it works really well when I have time to sit down and file the coupons. My issue is that I have coupons coming in from all over, all the time--insert clippings, coupon clippers.com, the mail, my mom, coupon trains, printed coupons, blinkies or tearpads I picked up at the store, etc. and I have trouble finding the time to get them all filed away on a regular basis. When the coupons aren't filed, it is really difficult to find THE ONE that I need for a particular sale.

Any ideas for how to deal with coupon overload?!?!?!

Other Weekend Shopping

Walmart 12/13:
+ 1 Christmas present
+ Tax
=$16.01 out of pocket, $4.99 saved, 24% savings

Great Harvest Bread Company 12/13:
+ 1 Cinnamon Swirl bread loaf (discounted)
+ 1 6-pk. Honey Wheat rolls (discounted)
=$4.74 out of pocket
*Plus we got two large "sample" slices of bread to eat while we were there. Yummy!


Kroger Transaction #1 12/13:
+ 7 Fleishmann's Active Dry yeast strips (3 packets ea)
+ 4 Cheerios 18oz. cereal
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$2.34 out of pocket, $30.09 saved, 93% savings Avg. cost per item: $0.21
*Plus I earned back 7 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas.

Kroger Transaction #2 12/13:
+ 8 Fleishmann's Active Dry yeast strips (3 packets ea)
+ 4 Cheerios 18oz. cereal
+ 1 Cottonelle single-roll 4 pack toilet paper
- Coupons
- 2 $0.50 OYNO catalinas
+ Tax
=$0.48 out of pocket, $35.07 saved, 99% savings Avg. cost per item: $0.04
*Plus I earned back 8 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas.

Kroger Transaction #3 12/13:
+ 5 Fleishmann's Active Dry yeast strips (3 packets ea)
- Coupons
- 2 $0.50 OYNO catalinas
+ Tax
=$0.06 out of pocket, $10.45 saved, 100% savings Avg. cost per item: $0.01
*Plus I earned back 5 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas.

Hallmark 12/14:
+ 10 Christmas presents
+ Tax
=$74.32 out of pocket, $29.88 saved, 29% savings Avg. cost per item: $7.43


Amazon.com 12/14:
+ 20 Hear Me Read by Mary Manz Simon books
+ 1 PlaySkool Wheel Pals 6 pk (toy trucks pack)
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$46.44 out of pocket, $37.74 saved, 45% savings Avg. cost per item: $2.21

CVS Surprise!

I received a $5/$30 that was only good through today. After Saturday's attempt to use it was foiled, I did a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants transaction today. It actually worked out great. I found a Little Tikes "soft" fire truck that I had been looking everywhere for. It was going to be $5.99 without any coupons or extra care offers on it, but I thought that was fine since I was using the $5/$30 and it was for a Christmas present. Well, when I got to the register, it said "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" under the item listing on the screen. I asked the lady if that meant I could get another one and she said, "If that's what it says on your screen." So I ran back and got a dump truck, and yep, it rang up for free! What a nice surprise!

CVS:

+ 6 Promax energy bars
+ 1 Bayer Ascensia Contour Blood Glucose Monitoring System
+ 2 Little Tikes soft vehicles
- Coupons
- $10.77 in ECBs
+ Tax
=$0.49 on GC, $0.28 out of pocket, $103.69 saved, 99% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.03
*Plus I earned back $15 in ECBs, a $5/$15 any purchase coupon, a $5/$15 animated or plush toy coupon, a $4/$20 Playskool coupon, and a $1/1 off Colgate Total toothpaste

Saturday Shopping

Kroger Transaction #1:
+ 8 Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast strips (3 count ea)
+ 3 Johnson's Buddies (kid's soap bars)
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.46 out of pocket, $19.52 saved, 99% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.04
*Plus I earned 8 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas for the yeast and another $3/3 Johnson's coupon so I can get another 3 Buddy bars for free!

Kroger Transaction #2:
+ 8 Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast strips (3 count ea)
+ 2 Celestial Seasonings boxes of tea
+ 1 Chiquita Bites (fresh apple slices with caramel dipping sauce)
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.85 out of pocket, $23.71 saved, 97% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.08
*Plus I earned 8 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas for the yeast and found two more coupons in the store for $1 off Chiquita Bites which means two more packs for free next time!

CVS:
This wasn't the scenario I had planned out. I was going to use a $5/$30 and along with coupons and ECBs was going to pay $0 OOP and earn back $8 more in ECBs than I used, but I went to 4 different stores and none of them had everything I needed, so I ended up cutting my losses and going for just the contact solution. I'll have to make up a different scenario using my $5/$30 for tomorrow.
+ 2 Complete Multi-Purpose Solution
+ 1 Caramel
- Coupons
- ECBs ($14.99 total)
+ Tax
=$0.00 out of pocket, $0.54 on GC, $19.99 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.00
*Plus I earned back $17.98 in ECBs and I got 4 coupon printouts!

Target:
+ 5 Christmas presents
+ 1 Purina Beggin' Strips dog treats
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$59.79 out of pocket, $7.49 saved, 11% savings
(I got the dog treats for free after store and manu coupon and one of the Christmas presents was marked down. Too bad I forgot to use my free $10 GC from the other night. I guess there's always next time!)

To bring my December totals up to date...

Here are all my purchases from the beginning of December until starting this blog on 12/8.

Kroger 12/3:
+ 1 Kroger Pumpkin Egg Nog
+ 1 Kroger Milk 1/2 gal.
+ 1 Cottonelle toilet paper (4 pack, singles)
+ 7 cans Del Monte vegetables (peas, corn, and green beans)
+ 1 Celestial Seasons variety tea pack
+ 1 Fleischmann's Active Dry yeast strip (3 count)
+ 2 Nasoya Tofu blocks
+ 2 Organic Braeburn apples
+ 2 Organic Cameo apples
+ 1 bunch of organic Bananas
+ 4 Bartlett Pears
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$16.53 out of pocket, $19.27 saved, 54% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.72
*Plus I earned back a $0.50 OYNO catalina for buying the yeast.
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Kmart 12/3:
+ 1 Suave shampoo
+ 1 Suave conditioner
+ 3 KY Jelly
+ 1 Pledge duster
+ 4 cans Del Monte vegetables
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$2.81 out of pocket, $21.88 saved, 89% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.28
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CVS 12/4:
+ 6 Promax energy bars
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.00 out of pocket, $11.94 saved, 100% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.00
*Plus I earned back $10 ECBs.
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CVS 12/4:
+ 3 Promax energy bars
+ 1 ream Georgia Pacific printer paper (500 sheets)
+ 1 Maola milk gal.
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.04 on GC, $16.77 saved, 99+% savings
Avg. cost per item: <$0.01
*Plus I earned back $5 ECBs.
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Lowe's Foods 12/4:
+ 3 Bird's Eye Voila! skillet meals
+ 1 Reynolds Cut Rite Wax Paper
+ 4 Daisy sour cream (8 oz.)
+ 1 carton blackberries
+ 1 carton raspberries
+ 1 5-lb. bag King Arthur whole wheat flour
+ 4 Lipton decaf. tea (24 family bags ea)
+ 2 Kiwi fruits
+ 1 Clabbergirl Corn Starch
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$22.58 out of pocket, $29.21 saved, 56% savings
Avg. cost per item: $1.25
*Plus, I'll earn a free Charlie Brown DVD for sending in the 3 Bird's Eye Voila! UPCs (retail $15)!
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Lowe's Foods 12/5:
+ 4 Johnsonville Italian sausage 1 lb. ground (hot)
+ 3 Johnsonville Italian sausage 1 lb. ground (mild)
+ 6 Bird's Eye Voila! skillet meals
+ 2 Bisquick Reduced Fat mixes
+ 1 2-lb. Purina ONE dry dog food
+ 1 5-lb. Red Band all purpose flour
+ 2 Betty Crocker Cookie mix
+ 1 Clabbergirl corn starch
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$32.96 out of pocket, $46.28 saved, 58% savings
Avg. cost per item: $1.65
*Plus I'll earn two Charlie Brown DVDs by sending in the Bird's Eye Voila! UPCs (retail value $30)!
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Lowe's Foods 12/5:
+ 10 Bird's Eye Voila! skillet meals
+ 1 2-lb. Purina ONE dry dog food
+ 3 Daisy sour cream (8 oz.)
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$35.63 out of pocket, $23.77 saved, 40% savings
Avg. cost per item: $2.55
*Plus I'll earn Charlie Brown DVDs for every 3 Bird's Eye Voila! UPCs (retail value $15 ea)!
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Target 12/7:
+ 2 Storage Organizers - on sale (for Luke's new toy room)
+ 6 Gift Cards (for Christmas presents)
- Coupons
+ Tax
= $155.46 out of pocket, $43.98 saved, 22% savings
*Plus we earned back a free $10 gift card to Target for our next shopping trip!
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About Me

Hi! I'm Skywalkerzmom, a 28-year-old SAHM to one. Formerly I was a teacher for 7 years and will shortly be returning to a teaching position unless I can get my shopping under control! It is my goal and utmost desire to be able to stay at home with my son for as long as possible, and to do that, I am going to have to come to grips with my spending.

Up until the time my son was born and I quit working, I had been pretty much buying what I wanted when I wanted it. The idea of a budget has been completely foreign to me for a very long time, but now with three people living off of one income, things have got to change!

For several months after my son was born, I continued to spend as I always had. It took awhile for me (and my hubby!) to catch on that more was going out than coming in! We tried setting up an allowance, which failed miserably.

In October, I stumbled upon some great savings blogs, namely The Thrifty Mama, and began reading about couponing. I decided to give it a try. I have spent a lot of time since then reading blogs and forums. Couponing seems to have its own entire little world on the internet. I have learned a ton from all of my reading and have been trying to put to use what I've learned.

So far, I am really enjoying couponing because I'm satisfying my unstoppable urge to shop, while also buying things we need and saving money. I still have a long ways to go in terms of rehabilitating our cash flow, but that's where this blog comes in. This will be my official place to report my spending and savings, my triumphs and my shortfalls! Come with me and see how I do!
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Kroger Craziness!

Kroger is having some crazy good deals this week! I got all this for only $16.57!

You may think this is a lot of Cheerios, but let me tell you, my DS is eating them up like crazy these days! They make great finger food snacks, and the expiration dates are almost a full year away, too.

Transaction #1:
+ 2 Cottonelle 4pks. single rolls
+ 4 strips Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast (3 count ea)
+ 4 Cheerios cereal 18 oz. boxes
+ 3 Johnson's Buddies soap
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.51 out of pocket, saved $31.80, 99% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.04
*Plus I earned $0.50 OYNO catalina printouts for each yeast strip and a $3/3 Johnson's coupon. That means I earned back $2 and I can also get 3 more free Johnson's buddies since they are $0.99 each!
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Transaction #2:
+ 1 Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
+ 3 strips Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast (3 count ea)
+ 3 Cheerios cereal 18 oz. boxes
+ 6 Gerber Graduates Fruit Puffs
+ 1 Chiquita Bites apples
+ 2 Juicy Juice
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$14.61 out of pocket, saved $24.77, 63% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.91
*Plus I earned $0.50 OYNO catalina printouts for each yeast strip and a $1.50 OYNO catalina printout for buying at least $10 worth of Gerber Graduates! That means I earned back $3.00!
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Transaction #3:
+ 3 strips Fleischmann's Rapid Rise yeast (3 count) $1.00 ea
+ 4 Cheerios cereal 18 oz. boxes $2.00 ea
+ 4 Johnson's Buddies soaps $0.99 ea
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$1.45 out of pocket, saved $26.83, 96% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.11
*Plus I earned $0.50 OYNO catalina printouts for each yeast strip which means I earned back $1.50 and I earned another $3/3 Johnson's which means I can get 3 more soaps for free!
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Overall Kroger Trip Review
*Spent $16.57 out of pocket.
*Bought 40 items at an average cost of $0.41 each!
*Still have 3 x $0.50 OYNO catalinas and a coupon for $3/3 Johnson's for next time!
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Target Frees

Here's what I got at Target last night.

Everything in the picture was basically free; all I had to pay was tax. The only thing not free was a travel pack of Tums we bought, which I did not have a coupon for. They were not a planned purchase, but were badly needed because we had just eaten at El Dorado and the taco salad was not sitting well with my stomach! They aren't pictured because they were already in use. But now I have three travel rolls of them in my purse for the next emergency!

Transaction #1:
+ 1 Tums Ex
+ 1 Rayovac AAA batteries 2 pk. (from the dollar spot)
- Coupon
+ Tax
=$2.09 out of pocket, saved $1.00, 32% savings
Avg. cost per item: $1.05
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Transaction #2:
+ 1 AirWick Lumin air Flameless candle with scented oil
+ 2 Rayovac AAA batteries 2 pk. (from the dollar spot)
- Coupons
+ Tax
=$0.47 out of pocket, saved $6.99, 94% savings
Avg. cost per item: $0.16
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