Deals, Deals and More Deals!

Yesterday, hubby and I ran around to three different stores to grocery shop. All three major stores that double coupons here...Fry's (Kroger), Basha's, and Safeway, had great in-store specials. So I spent over $100 this week, but we friggin' cleaned up!

1st stop, Safeway

Safeway had some in-store coupons that were good with a minimum $10 purchase. We got:
2 Kraft Singles, $1.50 each
3 Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs, $1 each. Used $1/2 Oscar Meyer hot dogs mfr cpn.
1 32 oz bottle Heinz ketchup, 99 cents
2 boxes Cheez-It Crackers, first one was $1.47, second one was $2. Used a $1/2 mfr cpn. for Sunshine crackers

Our total at Safeway after store discounts and coupons was $8.62.

Second stop, Basha's

Basha's had some in-store coupons also, but they required a $20 purchase ON TOP of the specials. They also had a deal going where you buy 5 12-packs of Coke for $12 and get a bag of Food Club chips free.

We did two transactions at Basha's, one was me and one was hubby right behind me.

Mine was:
5 12-packs Coke products, $12.
1 bag Food Club chips, free
1 Basha's hot dog buns, 49 cents (store coupon, limit was 1)
3 packages Hefty styrofoam plates. Store coupon was for 99 cents, and you could only get one at that price. I had 50 cent coupons that doubled, so I got one package free. The sale price otherwise was $1.50, so I got two more packages at 50 cents each.
1 Kraft Mayo, 99 cents (store coupon, limit was 1)
1 Oscar Meyer Jumbo Beef Franks, 99 cents (limit was 1)

I got up to $20 by including two packages of chicken leg quarters at 69 cents a lb, and 4 Gatorades at 77 cents each.

My total was $23.43.

Hubby's transaction:
5 12-packs Coke products, $12.
1 free bag food club chips
I also had gotten two coupons in the mail from Basha's that required a $10 purchase. One was free loaf of crusty bread, and the other was a free bag of Dole salad. Since he was buying the $12 worth of soda, he got the free bread and free salad with his order.

His total? $12.18.

After this, we had to go home and unload before we headed to Fry's.

Third stop, Fry's
I'm only going to list the highlights here, but I am dang proud of this particular trip. They had two different promotions going on at the same time. One of them was some 77 cent items when you bought $25 worth of stuff. I knew I was going to spend more than $25, so we grabbed all the 77 cent stuff. The other promotion was $3 off your order when you bought 10 specially labeled Nascar products? You could do that three times, and we did. By the way, if I hold this receipt down touching the floor, it comes up to my waist. Just saying.
So, the highlights:

3 Cattleman's BBQ sauce, 10 for $10. Used $1 mfr cpns making those free.
3 Lawry's Marinades, 10 for $10. Used 75 cent mfr cpns making those free.
4 boxes of Popsicles, 77 cents each (in store deal)
4 cans Bush's baked beans, 77 cents each (in store deal)
4 1/2 gallons Fry's 1% milk, 77 cents each (in store deal)

Oh, I forgot...they were also doing triple coupons up to $1.
My 30 items for the $3 back for 10 items were:
9 Chef Boyardee, used 3 - 35 cent off 3 coupons, tripling to $1
2 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, used 2 - 25 cent coupons tripling to 75 cents
3 2 liter bottles Diet Coke
7 Banquet frozen dinners
3 Purex laundry soap, on sale for $2.50, used 3 $1 off coupons
6 Betty Crocker fruit snacks, on sale 3 for $5, used 3 $1/2 coupons

We got several other things too, but the gist of it all is that my total was $84.22. I saved $103.36 with my VIP card and another $39.50 with coupons, for a total savings of $142.86. That's a 63% savings, people! I was excited! :)

Our total for the afternoon was $128.45. Over budget yes, but my cupboards and freezer are bursting and I need to quit stockpiling for a while and actually use some of this stuff.

I did, for dinner last night, make use of some of it...we had the chicken leg quarters, baked with some free BBQ sauce, and some 77 cent Bush's baked beans, and some free salad. Woo!

Revisions

I've decided to revise my savings goal for our mini emergency fund down from $2000 to $1500. I don't think I'd be comfortable until we had about $12,000 to fall back on, but that's supposed to be after you get yourself out of debt, that you build that larger emergency fund. I'm breathing a little easier with the $1000 in there. I tend to panic about money, in case you haven't noticed.

New Week June 23rd

Well, I think I spent more than $100 today, but I suppose that will happen occasionally. Especially since last week, I hit the Revlon sale at CVS and got oldest daughter and middle daughter each an eyeliner and a mascara. Had coupons, used ECBs, only spent $1.38, but I totally burned all my ECBs, so I'm starting from scratch again.
Four different trips today:

CVS #1
Wanted to get the Brut deodorant, but I swear every store I go into is out of the ones that are $2.89 with $3 back in ECBs. I have 55 cent coupons too. But out of stock. So what I bought were two of the Oral B toothbrush double packs, and a 20 oz Diet Coke. (I had to, it's hot here!)

Spent $16.48 OOP, got $13.98 back in ECBs.

Bashas
I didn't have any coupons to use here, just went with some sales:
2 loaves Aunt Hatties bread, $1.50 each
2 cans refried beans, 69 cents each
1.92 lbs Red Globe grapes, 88 cents/lb, $1.69
2 packages Kraft singles, $1.99 each (my family really loves their grilled cheese sandwiches)
1 lb bag mini carrots, 88 cents
4 boxes Popsicles, $1 each
20 Powerades, 50 cents each, which came with 2 free cases of Dasani water.

Total here was $25.30

CVS #2
I decided to do the Charmin/Bounty deal, because we were in desperate need of toilet paper AND paper towels. I try to cloth dishtowels as much as I can, but sometimes you just need a paper towel, you know?

I got:
3 packages 12 big rolls Charmin, $5.99 each.
1 package 8 rolls Bounty paper towels, $5.49.

I had two 25 cent coupons for Charmin and 1 for Bounty. Woohoo.

Those $3/$15 coupons never print on my receipts. I have no idea why.

I used my $13.98 in ECBs and my total OOP was $9.47. I received $10 back in ECBs.

Fry's
This is always the big one. Too much to list, but some sales were:

3 Dial hand soap, 10 for $10, used 60 coupons which double, so those were free.
3 Ken's Salad Dressing Sprays, on sale for $1.77, used $1 mf cpns, so 77 cents each.
2 Dole bagged salad, 88 cents each
2 Barilla whole wheat pasta, on sale $1.50, used 50 cent coupons that doubled, 50 cents per box.
2 boxes Kroger 94% fat free popcorn, 88 cents each
3 Pringles, 88 cents each
2.28 lbs green grapes, 77 cents/lb, $1.76

Anyway, the total was $76.31, and according to my receipt I saved $77.23.

I always feel good when I save more than I spend.

Well, grand total for the week is $127.56. Oops. Oh well, we really needed that toilet paper.

I Did ALL My Shopping Yesterday

I usually grocery shop on Mondays, but because of the myriad of things going on today, plus having to be at work at 4pm, I ran around and did everything yesterday. My previous post? It didn't work out that way so much, because my CVS was out of the Brut deodorant. So, here's what I actually did yesterday after I got home from work around 3pm:

CVS #1
1 Schick Quattro razor, $9.49
2 Nivea Shave Gels, $2.79 each
1 Ajax dish soap, 88 cents

Used $3/$15 coupon
$2 off Schick razor
Two $2/1 Nivea shave gel here
Used $6.49 in ECBs and paid 96 cents OOP. Received $5 ECB for the razor.

I had printed out the Nivea coupons at work and stopped at CVS on my way home. When I got home, I printed out the two allowed coupons from my home computer and headed back to CVS.

CVS #2
2 Nivea Shave Gels, $2.79 each.

Used two $2/1 Nivea shave gel

I used $1 ECB and paid 46 cents OOP.

I received $5 in ECBs for purchasing $10 worth of Nivea men products.

Now I had enough ECBs for the Coke deal.

CVS #3
4 12-packs Coke, $11.00
1 Listerine Smart Rinse, $3.49
1 large bag popcorn, 99 cents (Daughter was going to a drive-in movie)

Used $3/$15 coupon, $1 off Listerine coupon

Paid with $10 in ECBs, and paid 71 cents OOP.
Received $3 in ECBs for the Coke, and $3.49 for the Smart Rinse

Whew. I'm down to only $6.49 in ECBs, but I hubby has a new razor and a lot of Nivea shave gel, plus we have two cases of Coke, more Listerine and a couple other things, and I only shelled out $2.13, which was the change rattling around in my pocket.

I also went to Basha's, Safeway and Fry's yesterday, but I think I'll do that post later.

CVS # 1 Week of June 8th

I know I'll be doing at least two, possibly more trips to CVS this week. I'm going to do the Coke deal, (4 for $11, get 3 ECBs back), but I need to build up my ECBs a bit first. Right now I have $9.48 in ECBs.

First transaction today:

1 Schick Quattro razor, $9.49
2 Brut Deodorant, $2.89 each (some sites have these listed at $2.69, but they are $2.89 at my store)
Total $15.27

Using $3/$15 CVS coupon
$2/1 Schick razor, today's Smart Source
2 - 55 cent off 1 Brut deodorant

Total $9.17, will use $8.48 in ECBs and pay less than $1 OOP

Get $5 in ECBs for the razor, and $3 each for the deodorants, upping my ECBs to $11.

CVS Again

I made one more trip to CVS today, because we were out of hairspray and dishwasher soap. I was just going to pick up those three things, and burn some of my ECBs. However, since I still had the $3/$15 that doesn't expire until Friday, I had to try and work a deal. :)

Here's what I ended up getting:

Cascade liquid 75 oz, on sale for $3.99
2 White Rain hairsprays, 99 cents each
2 Dawn dishwashing liquid, $1 each
2 CVS brand band aids, $1.99 each
1 Brut deodorant, $3.29
1 Nerds candy, 79 cents

I had a $6.98 ECB and a $6.99 ECB to pay with. Of course, I was a bit over with my ECBs so I grabbed a Reese's peanut butter cup from under the counter, 79 cents.

After my $3/$15 coupon and those two ECBs, I ended up owing...wait for it... 1 penny. I'm not kidding. I spent 1 cent at CVS today. Hee.

I received a $1 ECB for the Dawn, $3.98 for the CVS band aids, and $3.00 for the Brut.

Bottom line is I spent 1 cent, and reduced my ECBs by $5.99, which was precisely the cost of only the dishwashing soap and the hairspray, which is what I went there for in the first place. Meaning all the other stuff was free.

This cracks me up:




Hmmm...I don't know why that ECB says $6.84. I know it was $6.99, because it was from the Oral B toothbrushes. I wonder if she adjusted it down? In that case, why didn't she just make it $6.85 so I didn't owe her the penny? Huh.

Oh wait, I see. My subtotal was actually $0.00. The penny is tax. I guess in Arizona math, $0.00 x 1.5% = $0.01. Weird.

Fry's and My Weekly Total

I had a feeling I would go over budget this week, and I was right. I spent $55.42 at Fry's today on our needs/wants. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this, seeing as it's summer and the kids are home all day instead of being at school. Of course I'm going to be spending a bit more on groceries, right? On the other hand, I'm not doling out lunch money, so it's probably a wash.

Anyway, adding what I spent at Fry's, $3.83 at Basha's, and the $34.85 from my two Safeway trips and CVS, makes my total for the week $94.10. Oops. Oh well, I do have a lot of chicken breasts and beef!

Basha's This Morning

After the small fry had her first gymnastics class at the community center this morning, I decided to stop at Basha's, which was on my way home. You know, conserving gas and all that. :)

This was just a side trip, for things that were free or really cheap. I think everything pictured here was on sale 10 for $10. Here's what I got and the coupons I used. Basha's doubles coupons up to $1.00:

3 four-packs Charmin toilet paper, used three 25 cent mf coupons from the 6/1 Proctor & Gamble insert
2 boxes Jolly Time Healthy Pop microwave popcorn, used two $1.00 off coupons here
2 boxes Barilla Piccolini pasta, used 50 cents off 2 mf coupon from the 5/11 Smart Source
2 packages Bar S bologna, used two 25 cent coupons here
1 Challenge Butter, 8oz, used 50 cent coupon found here
1 Challenge Spreadable Butter, used 50 cent coupon also from the above link
1 GUM toothbrush, used 75 cent mf coupon from the 4/20 Red Plum insert

My total after coupons was $3.83. I'll add that to my total for the week after I hit Fry's. I'm kind of doubting I'm going to get under the $75 mark, but I'm sure going to try!

Safeway Again, and CVS

Saturday I decided to go do those Safeway in-ad deals one more time. They were such great deals, I don't think I've ever seen boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1 a lb!

This time, I got:
1 4 lb bag Manor House chicken breasts, $4.00
1 4 lb clamshell of strawberries, $3.00
1 dozen Lucerne eggs, $1.00
1 package of the Rancher's Reserve bone-in chuck, 99 cents/lb. I think this package was about $5, but it was actually two pieces of meat, just sliced more thinly.
1 2 liter bottle Diet Coke, $1.89. I know that is a horrible price, but I was out and I didn't feel like going to another store. Their deal was actually B2G2, which would have been about 90 cents per bottle, which is a decent deal, but I had cash with me and I didn't have enough. :(

My total for this trip was $15.96

Total so far: $32.28.

Then yesterday I went to CVS. They had sent me a coupon for a free package of Backpack Buddies anti-bacterial wipes that expired yesterday, so I wanted to use that. Also, those $5/$15 coupons expired yesterday.

Here's what I got:

2 bottles Listerine Kids Smart Rinse, $3.49 each.
1 2pack of Oral B toothbrushes, $6.99
1 Phantom Fusion razor, $9.99
1 box CVS brand band aids, $1.99.
1 package Backpack Buddies antibacterial wipes, $1.59

Coupons used:
$5 off $15 purchase
$4 off any Fusion razor
2 - $1 off Listerine Smart Rinse
Free Buddies wipes, $1.59

I used $13 in ECBs and paid $2.57 OOP.

I received $6.98 in ECBs for the Smart Rinse, $6.99 for the toothbrushes, $1.99 for the band aids and $4 for the razor. That's a total of $19.96 in ECBs. If you consider that I used $13 in ECBs and paid $2.57, that's a profit of $3.39, plus all that stuff for free. I love it when they pay me to take stuff out of their store.

Adding the $2.57 I spent at CVS, my total for this week is $34.85. I'm going to Fry's later today, hoping I can stay under my $75 limit!