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!
___________________________________________
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