Posts Tagged ‘ couponing ’

Weekly Spending Summary (5/5-5/11)

Wednesday, May 15th, 2013

Some of you have wondered where I get my printable coupons. Here are the main coupon sites that I use: Coupons.com, Coupon Network, Smart Source, Red Plum and Saving Star. Manufacturer websites and Facebook pages are another great source.

I didn’t do as much shopping this week which was fine with me- sometimes it’s good to have a break!  I was happy to make $4.88 on my purchases though even though I didn’t buy that much.

Favorite buys:

* Free Beechnut Fruites
* Moneymaking Calcium
* Sausage for $1.50/lb.
* Moneymaking Eucerin

Total Spent: $14.36
Total Saved with Coupons: $41.26
Total Saved with Sales: $13.83
Total Saved: $55.09

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $19.96

I have a gift card that I earned through our credit card rewards program that I used to pay for this purchase which was $0.90.

I bought this Eucerin primarily because it was a moneymaker of $2.04.  I’ve tried Eucerin lotion in the past and haven’t really liked it.  Any local friends use it?  I’d be happy to give it to you.  Seriously!  If not, it will either get donated or I might try to yardsale it for $0.25.

Bought:

  • 4 Eucerin Lotion $4.99

Coupons Used:

  • Four $3.00 Eucerin printable coupons
  • $7.96 in Extra Bucks (CVS coupons that print at register for purchasing specific items)

Got Back:

  • $10.00 Extra Bucks coupon for purchasing the Eucerin (can be used on next purchase of any item)
  • $2.00 Extra Bucks coupon for scanning my Green Bag Tag (can be used on next purchase of any item)
    - CVS ended their Green Bag Tag program but gave all customers who scanned their tag a $2.00 Extra Bucks coupon

Rite Aid: $5.66
Saved with Coupons: $6.55
Saved with Sales: $9.35

No, I don’t normally buy Nursery water but since I had UPRewards that needed to be used and since I could make $0.33 on it I figured why not?  We’ll either drink it or use it to water our plants.

I made $2.00 on the calcium which I was happy about.  I try to take calcium supplements regularly, although I’ve never tried the Sundown brand.  I can’t imagine it is that much different than any other brand though.

Bought:

  • 2 Sundown Calcium $8.99 total (on sale Buy One, Get One Free)
  • 2 Nursery Water $1.61 each

Coupons Used:

  • $0.55/2 Nursery Water printable coupon
  • $1.00 Sundown printable coupon
  • $5.00 in UPRewards (Rite Aid coupon that print at register for purchasing specific items)

Got Back:

  • $3.00 UPReward coupon for purchasing the Nursery Water (can be used on next purchase of any item)
  • Two $5.00 UPReward coupons for purchasing the Sundown (can be used on next purchase of any item)

Giant: $8.70
Saved with Coupons: $12.75
Saved with Sales: $4.48

We went to Maryland to surprise my mom and grandma for Mother’s Day.  (That was really fun by the way and we successfully surprised them too!)  I wasn’t planning to do any grocery shopping while we were there but my mom had to work several hours Sat. morning and so I ran to Martins to take advantage of their awesome double coupons.  Martins in MD is the same thing as Giant here in PA.  The great thing about them is that they double all coupons up to $1.00.  So in other words, if a coupon is $0.99 it will double to $1.98!  I always like to try to take advantage of that when I’m there.

I really wasn’t sure what deals I would find but I dug through my grocery coupons and found all the $0.75 and just looked for deals.  I didn’t have the children with me so it was a lot of fun.  I ended up with some awesome deals.

The Beech-nut products were either free or moneymakers of $0.25.  The Crisco Olive Oil spray was just a good price and I was needing more so this was perfect.  The sausage was a great buy at $1.49/lb. after coupons/sales.    The ketchup was supposed to be a good deal…unfortunately they missed ringing up my $1 coupon and I didn’t notice until I was home.  Hate when that happens!

Bought:

  • Crisco Spray $2.29
  • 4 Beech-nut Fruities $0.99 each
  • Beech-nut Yogurt Blend $1.25
  • Nature’s Promise Organic Ketchup $1.99
  • 4 Johnsonville Sausage (various kinds) $2.99 each

Coupons Used:

  • $0.75 Crisco printable coupon (doubled to $1.50)
  • Two $0.50 Beechnut printable coupons (doubled to $1.00 each)
  • Three $0.75 Beechnut printable coupons (doubled to $1.25 each)
  • Four $0.75 Johnsonville coupons from various magazines (doubled to $1.50)

Walmart: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $2.00

Smiley 360 sent me a $10 Walmart gift card to cover the cost of Oxi-Clean so that I can do a product review for them.  I used it to cover the cost of my purchase which was $6.46.

The Vlasic relish was free after a coupon and the Earthbound organic carrots were just $0.93/lb. after a coupon.

Bought:

  • 2 Earthbound Farms Organic Carrots $1.12 each
  • Vlassic Relish $0.98
  • OxiClean $4.94

Coupons Used:

  • $1/2 Earthbound printable coupon from manufacturer’s website
  • $1.00 Vlassic printable coupon

Misc.: $0

Picture #1: My mother-in-law gave me a dozen eggs since their chickens are laying more than they can use right now.  The ones from her are the open carton- notice that huge one lying on top!  The other 3 dozen were from a local farm where I pay $1.15/doz.

Picutre #2: The snacks were all from our neighbors.  One day the Mrs. knocked on our door and said someone gave them a bunch of crackers and cookies and could we use some.  Of course I said yes, and this is what she gave me.  :)   The lettuce?  It’s from our little garden!  I’m so excited because I planted 6 lettuce plants several weeks ago and they are beautiful!

Picture #3: I got 2 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, 1 dill plant and 1 basil plant all for $7.00.  I’ve never planted much before because we live in the city and really don’t have much space.  But this year I decided to plant some garden things in my one flowerbed and I also dug up a small plot in the back corner of our yard.  I can’t wait to see how much I get from it!

Not pictured:

- some onions to plant and another 12 lettuce plants that I used grocery cash to pay for

Sunday Coupon Preview

Friday, May 10th, 2013

Looks like a good week for coupons!  Most areas should get three coupon inserts in this week’s Sunday newspaper. Want to know what specific coupons to expect? Go here.

Categories: Coupons | Tags: ,

Weekly Spending Summary (4/28-5/4)

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

Some of you have wondered where I get my printable coupons. Here are the main coupon sites that I use: Coupons.com, Coupon Network, Smart Source, Red Plum and Saving Star. Manufacturer websites and Facebook pages are another great source.

Total Spent: $49.08
Total Saved with Coupons: $13.00
Total Saved with Sales: $4.00
Total Saved: $17.00

CVS: $0 (gift card)
Saved with Coupons: $13.00
Saved with Sales: $4.00

The 5th Avenue bar and the toothbrush heads were free.  We love 5th Avenues on top of my Homemade Caramel Pudding so I try to get them whenever I can for a good price.  The sunglasses?  Well, they were a total splurge for our 4 yr. old.  He’s been begging for sunglasses for a long time and since they were only $2 after coupons/sales I decided to get them for him.  His excitement and gratitude for them has been so fun to see.  There definitely is something good about having to wait for something- just makes you appreciate it more.

Bought:

  • 5th Avenue Bar $0.99
  • Oral B $5.99
  • Kid’s Sunglasses $6.99

Coupons Used:

  • $1.00 Extra Bucks coupon for 5th Avenue Bar
  • $3.00 Oral B coupon from Sunday newspaper coupon inserts
  • $9.00 in Extra Bucks (CVS coupons that print at register for purchasing specific items)

Got Back:

  • $3.00 Extra Bucks coupon for purchasing the Oral B (can be used on next purchase of any item)
  • $5.00 Extra Bucks coupon for purchasing the Kid’s Sunglasses (can be used on next purchase of any item)
  • $5.00 Extra Bucks coupon for purchasing $50 of Beauty items (can be used on next purchase of any item)
    - as part of the ExtraCare Beauty Club- $50 was purchased over a long period of time

Aldi: $24.66

Another week of stocking up at Aldi.  Just a couple of things….I got the pinto beans to make an amazingly good and simply homemade refried beans recipe.  I hope to post the recipe here soon.  Also, ever since we got married I pretty much always bought my spices and seasonings at a local bulk food store because I assumed it was cheaper.  And it is much cheaper than a regular grocery store or Walmart.  But last week I suddenly got to thinking that I should compare prices with Aldi and what do you know, but Aldi was cheaper on pretty much every single spice that I checked!  So I guess I’ll get as many spices as possible there from now on.

Bought:

  • 5 Spices/Herbs $0.99 each
  • 2 Tortillas $0.99 each
  • Spinach $1.79
  • Parmesan Cheese $2.39
  • 2 Tomato Paste $0.39 each
  • Vanilla $1.99
  • Pinto Beans 2 lbs. $1.79
  • Brown Sugar 2 lb. $1.29
  • Powdered Sugar  2 lb. $1.29
  • Mayo $1.99
  • Red Potatoes 5lb. $2.49
  • Carrots 2 lb. $0.99

Sharp Shoppers: $12.42

Well, this is strange.  I wassureI had taken a picture of this purchase but can’t find it anywhere.

Both vinegars were gallon jugs.  I use the white vinegar for cleaning and go through it fairly fast.  And buying cider vinegar in gallon size was much cheaper than otherwise so even though I don’t use it quite as fast I went ahead and got a jug of it too.  The buttermilk is a new thing for me.  I’m attempting to make my own Ranch dressing and am using it for that.  If it works out well, you’ll probably be seeing the recipe for that too.

Bought:

  • Vinegar $2.99
  • White Vinegar $1.99
  • 4 Sour Cream 24 oz. $0.99 each
  • Buttermilk $1.99
  • $1.49 item that I can’t remember buying but was charged for :(

Misc.: $12

The $12 was grocery cash that we’ll use for milk from a local dairy and also produce from our local farmer’s market.

The Purex and Dial Kids were both received as part of my involvement with Purex Insiders.   (If you are a blogger, they are now accepting applications!)  I’ve enjoyed using the Purex Natural Elements detergent.  The Tropical Splash scent makes me feel like I’m taking a trip to Hawaii every time I do laundry.  Just would be nice if the trip was for real!  I love that Purex Natural Elements is hypoallergenic, dye-free and formulated with sensitive skin in mind.  In my opinion, the less added the better.  And just in case you are interested, Purex Natural Elements was rated #1 in natural detergents.

We really liked the Dial Kids Body+Hair Wash too.  First thing my 4 1/2 yr. old said when we used it was, “Mom, that smells good!”.  I typically get boring, unscented body washes for the kids so he thought this Peachy Clean scent was pretty great.  I love that it is tear free and it seemed to lather up well, although it did seem to take a bit more soap to get the job done than the brand I typically use.  Not enough to make a huge difference but still good to know.

Hallmark Gold Crown Stores: $5 off $10 Coupon

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

Through May 12, 2013 you can save $5 off any $10 purchase at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores.

This is a great way to save on cards or gifts for Mother’s Day.  Also if you like Willow Tree Figurines, most Hallmark stores carry them so coupons like this make for some great savings!

Categories: Coupons | Tags: ,

Sunday Coupon Preview

Saturday, May 4th, 2013

It looks like we can expect two coupon inserts in this week’s Sunday newspaper. Want to know what specific coupons to expect? Go here.

Categories: Coupons | Tags: ,